Untitled CSI Project
by luv0817
Summary: Start with an accident, mix in a lot of decisions, a trip to London, and life altering changes... and there you have life and times of our favourite characters. GSR.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters. The "smiles" idea comes from, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton.

Gil Grissom sat in his office staring out the open door. He watched her walk down the hall and into the Trace lab. She was smiling at something Hodges was saying; not a real smile, but more of an, _I think you're pathetic_, one. He'd learnt all her smiles over the years; one when she was trying to hold a secret, one when she broke a case, one when she was trying not to cry, one when she thought someone was being stupid, and one when she looked at him.

He'd known that smile from the first moment his eyes locked on hers; sitting in the front row of the lecture hall she scribbled her notes furiously as he spoke. The thought of someone taking meticulous notes of his speech was unsettling, but what came next unnerved him even more. For a split second, she looked up at him; a simple smile spread across her face- simple, but strong- a smile he'd learnt that she had only reserved for him.

"Grissom?" A knock and a voice came. He looked up to see her standing there in front of him. He couldn't stop himself from thinking how adorable she looked in the blue FORENSIC jumper with her long brown hair pulled loosely back into a pencil and smudges on her face.

"And…" he questioned; eyebrow raised.

"Nothing," she seated herself in the chair across from him. "Greg and I searched every inch of that car and- nothing. We even took the engine apart, well what was left of it, no signs of a bomb anywhere." Grissom smiled slightly, _so that's grease on her face_, he mused.

"Maybe the bomb wasn't in the car," he suggested. Sara crinkled her nose.

"You're basing that on…?"

"You didn't find any parts for a bomb in the car-"

"But, the car was the source of the explosion."

"You're sure?"

"Grissom, you were there- and you read the report," she added quickly.

"Yes, I was there, but at the time I was a little distracted." His cool blue eyes met her chocolate brown ones. She smiled.

"Like I said, you read the report. Hey," Sara whispered. "About last night…"

"Hey, guys," Greg burst into Grissom's office. "I think I know what happened." After an uninterrupted pause, he continued. "What if the explosion came from beneath the car?" Still, nothing; he again continued, "According to Brass, the car was on top of a man hole, so what if the bomb was planted underground."

"Then, we took the car apart for nothing," said an annoyed Sara.

"Yes. And, now we have to go back over to the scene and see if we can get down in the man hole, because if my theory is correct, the tunnel would've been destroyed, so we have to use the next entrance and claw our way through."

"Great," Sara scowled, getting up. "More muck." With a last pleading look at Grissom, to which he replied with a small smile, she followed Greg out of the office.

"We'll talk tonight?" Grissom asked softly.

"I suppose," Sara said, not even bothering to turn around.

Sara Sidle got into the passenger side of the Denali and pulled out her laptop.

"Oh, so I have to drive?" Greg said in mock annoyance.

"Yes. I have some work to do."

"Ah, yeah, work. _Sure_." Turning on the radio, he turned to a rock station. Sara rolled her eyes, but said nothing; instead she starred at the face of her laptop. After working for a few minutes a message popped onto the screen.

G.G. is now online

_G.G. told you_

_S.S. Shut up_

_G.G. Maybe you were the one being distracted_

_S.S. Only because you were the one distracting me,_ Sara smiled to herself.

_G.G. Serves you right for reading case files in bed. What ever happened to work staying at the office?_

_S.S. Yeah, like you ever follow that rule!_

_G.G. Yeah, but I've been doing better_

_S.S. True._

_G.G. So, last night..._

_S.S. Talk about breaking rules…_

_G.G. You started it, remember. _

_S.S. Yeah, okay._ She gave in._ I wanted to talk to you about that. I was thinking and…_

"You ready?" Greg asked parking the car.

Sara sighed. "Yeah, give me a second."

_S.S. We're here. Finish this conversation later?_

_G.G. Yes. Bye. _

G.G. has signed off

Sara stowed her laptop and followed Greg a few yards down the road where a group of construction men were standing along with their Captain.

"Brass," Greg greeted the Captain.

"We're just waiting for bomb squad to clear," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

"Your theory might be right after all, Sanders; bomb squad had a hell of a time trying to get to the man hole that the car was over. After they're done clearing the area from any other bombs, we're going to have a construction crew come and clear a path from this entrance to the next.

"Capt. Brass?" an unfamiliar man came up to the trio.

"Yes."

"We think there may be the possibility of another bomb through the tunnel. No one is to go down there. We need this area to be cleared off immediately." Brass looked at the CSI's.

"Guess you made a trip down here for nothing. We can't do anything till they're sure the area is cleared," Brass said walking to the car and picked up his radio. "This is Jim Brass; we need a possible hazard area to be cleared straight away." _Beep… beep… beep.._. Greg took his pager out.

"It's Warrick. We need to get back to the lab."

"Warrick! Catherine!" Sara said jumping out of the car. "What's going on?"

"There was another explosion…" Warrick started. He was sitting next to Catherine on a gurney. Both of them had bandages around their heads with worried looks on their faces.

"Grissom was hurt badly," Catherine interrupted. "He's been taken to Dessert Palm Hospital." Sara grabbed they keys out of Greg's hand.

"Sara, wait." Greg said running after her. "Let me drive."

"No, Greg. You need to stay. Make sure Catherine and Warrick are okay." Greg looked into Sara's tear filled eyes.

"I'll be fine." she said answering his unspoken question.

"Gil, Gilbert Grissom was just brought in," Sara tired to remain calm.

"I'm sorry-" Began the receptionist; Sara shoved her I.D. on the counter.

"Miss Sidle," Sara turned around to see, Tina, Warrick's wife. "They just took Dr. Grissom to trauma room seven," she said before hurrying off down the next hall.

"Thanks," Sara called after, running toward the corridor. By the time turned down the right hall, her head was spinning, her hands were shaking, and she felt sick. Stopping at the emergency room door, Sara peeked inside. Grissom was laying on the third bed to the right; his left hand was wrapped as was his head; his head and right hand were covered with cuts. Sara heart started pounding uncontrollably as she threw up on the floor.

"Miss, are you okay?" A woman asked stooping down beside her.

"I'm sorry," Sara whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Bathroom is this way," the woman said taking Sara by the elbow and helping her into the bathroom. "Are you looking for someone in particular?"

"Um, yeah; Dr. Gil Grissom," Sara said in shaking voice. She rinsed her mouth out and washed her hands. "Thank you," she smiled weakly.

"I'm his attending, Dr Bryant," the woman said introducing herself as they walked back down the hall.

"Is he okay? What happened? Can I see him?"

"Dr. Grissom sustained fractures to left wrist, and three ribs. He was apparently thrown across his desk landing head first in the hall. We're keeping him here for observation; to make sure there's not internal bleeding." It was too much, Sara felt sick again; she felt herself black out.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing- pull back the lawyers…

A/N: Thank you to everyone who R&R, your comments were appreciated; please continue. I have some of the next part done, but Writer's Block is starting to set in, so it may take another couple of days for Ch 3. Also any **constructive criticism** is welcomed. I can handle the truth- when used with tact and respect. Anyway- on to the story!

"Sara?"

"What happened?"

"She's okay, right?"

Sara could hear voices all around her. She was groggy and cold. Willing her eyes to open, she could make out figures.

"Sara, can you hear me?"

"Nick," she said dryly, trying to sit up.

"Here," Nick said holding out a glass of water, "drink."

"Grissom…?" She questioned.

"They've admitted him and taken him up to a room." This time the voice belonged to Catherine.

"He's on floor three, room 310," Warrick announced.

"Thanks," Sara said getting up off the floor, still feeling a little woozy, but not letting it show.

"We'll be up in a minute," Catherine called after her.

"Quietly opening the door to room 310, Sara sneaked in and walked over to a sleeping Grissom.

"Gil," Sara whispered stroking his hand. With a closer look, Sara could see the burns all over his face and arms. His eyes were puffy and bruised and his head was still covered in blood; there were several scratches all over his face. Sara couldn't hold back the tears that were filling her eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss," said a sweet looking younger girl. "I'm just checking his vitals."

"How's he doing?" Sara's voice cracked.

"His vital signs are strong, but I'll send Dr. Bryant in here for a full report."

"Thank you," Sara smiled weakly as the girl exited the room.

"Feeling better, Miss Sidle?" Dr Bryant asked floating into the room and handing her a pair of scrubs, which made Sara look down at her top that was covered in vomit.

"Thanks." She accepted the scrubs.

"From what we can tell there is no internal bleeding. He's sustained injuries to the neck and head which is causing his coma-"

"He's in a coma?" Sara asked sharply.

"Yes." The doctor's eyes did not meet Sara's.

"Is he, going to be okay."

"At this point, it's a waiting game. He could come out of it in hours, days, weeks; or he could never-"

"Please, don't," Sara held up her hands to stop the doctor.

"I'll leave you two alone. For now, only two guest at a time. I'll be back in a few hours to check on him. Make sure you talk to him; let him know you're here." Dr. Bryant closed the door. Sara sunk into the chair and pulled it close to the bed. _He always knows when I'm near_, she thought.

"Gil, don't leave me; please," pleading, Sara laid her head on his hand and sobbed.

It was dark outside and her back and neck ached, Sara had no idea what time it was, or how long she'd been asleep. Catherine was asleep in the chair opposite her. Not caring that Catherine was there, Sara gently brought Grissom's hand up to her lips and kissed his fingers.

"I miss you," she said quietly, as not to disturbed Catherine, who incidentally was already awake. "I guess we're not going camping this weekend," she said stroking his cheek. "You'll just have to show me those bugs another time. Catherine is here too, you know; I suppose everyone else as well." She sighed. "We all need you, Gil; I need you. I'm- I'm sorry about last night." Sara reached into her pocket and pulled out a small ring, slipping it on her left hand.

It took all of Catherine's will power to stay still. _Well, well, well,_ she thought to herself, _it's about _time, she smiled to herself. She was the only one from the lab who knew they were together, (as far as she knew). She had to be. If Warrick had known, he would've come to her right away and Greg; he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. She doubted Nicky knew since he was so caught up in his new girlfriend and there's no way the Lab Rats had picked up on it. No, she was completely sure she was the only one who had known. Not that they knew she knew; she stumbled in on them in the supply room having a heated discussion that had ended in a passionate kiss. So, far, she had been able to keep the secret to herself.

"I'm sorry," Sara sniffed quietly, snapping Catherine back to attention. Sara kissed Grissom lightly on the cheek. "You're right," she said softly into his ear, "I have nothing to be afraid of. I'll be right back." With that, she slipped out the door.

"Engaged, huh?" Catherine sat up as soon as the door closed." She shook her head. "Never thought I'd see the day when Gil Grissom promised to be with someone forever. I still can't believe you haven't told me out right that you were even together; some best friend you are." She paused, "I knew though. Remember a few weeks ago when you raged into, and out of, the break room and slammed a pint of blood into the fridge? I never told you, but the lid popped off. Lucky for you, it was a personal experiment. I didn't tell you because I knew you were upset already, but I went ahead and cleaned up the blood and donated some of my own to you efforts." Catherine smiled and continued. "While I was- taking my own blood- a very angry Sara came stomping into the break room, not even noticing I was there. She doesn't know this," Catherine leaned in closer, "but I heard what she said. "_Gilbert Grissom is going to get it! I am so going to make him pay for the fiasco in bed this morning!" _she mimicked Sara's voice. "She'd **never** ever called you Gil, let alone Gilbert; she was pissed," Catherine laughed, remembering. "I almost forgot there was a needle in my arm. You know, when you wake up, you're going to have to tell me what exactly _did_ happen in bed that morning. So, anyway, after I filled up the rest of the jar, I went searching for you, to make sure you were okay and I found you, both… _quietly_ screaming at one another, the next thing I knew, you slammed poor Sara up against the wall and kissed her very soundly. It took everything I had to keep quiet. Don't worry, though, I didn't tell anyone. But, ah, if you're engaged, it might need to come out sooner or later.

"Sara! What's going on? How's he doing?" An eager Greg ran up to her.

"Uh-" Sara tried to collect her thought.

"They won't let anyone else in. Brass and Warrick are back at lab with the Rats trying to get stuff cleaned up. Nick is asleep in the waiting room. I couldn't sleep anymore. Is Catherine still in there with you?" He said all in one breath.

"Yes. You can go in and see him if you want. He's... he's hurt- badly, so don't be surprised. I- I'm going to change, but I'll be right back."

"Okay," Greg nodded. "Hey, can you let Nick know what's going on?"

"Sure," she said before disappearing into the bathroom. After changing, Sara walked down the hall to the family waiting room where Nick Stokes was laying across the chairs.

"Nick," Sara whispered.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Nick sat up.

"He's beaten up pretty badly. He has some broken ribs and wrist; bruises, cuts and burns all over him." Sara didn't think she had any more tears left and yet they were running down her cheeks.

"Shhh," Nick said softly, pulling Sara towards him. "He's going to be okay, Sara."

"How do you know, Nick?" She collapsed into his arms. He's in a coma, he could never come out." Nick was completely startled at this news, _Grissom's in a coma?_ he thought to himself. Quickly regaining himself he looked Sara square in the eyes, "I just know, Sar. I just know," he was gently stroking her hair when he saw a silver ring on her figure with a soft diamond. "Hey, Sar, what on your finger?" he asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No ownership of CSI or CBS still… Lyrics are from the opening titles of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

A/N: Greg was my hardest character to write for, thus far- hang in there with me. Thanks again for all your reviews; they're totally keeping me going. I've written it, bouncing back and forth; please let me know if it's too confusing.

A/N2: Mentions of the tape from:

Grave Danger

Bodies in Motion

Daddy's Little Girl

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Catherine?" Greg said opening the door.

"Hey, Greg, c'mon in," Catherine said standing.

"How is he?"

"Not good."

"At least if he stays in a coma for a while, he'll be able to heal properly," he said quietly. Catherine took a sharp side glace at Greg prepared to reprimand him for such a comment But he wasn't looking at her, he wasn't even looking at Grissom; just staring at the floor with an almost scared look on his face. "I mean, think about it," Greg continued, his voice getting quieter; "if Grissom was awake and conscious, he'd be trying to figure out what happened. He'd never listen to the doctors after they'd tell him to take it easy. At least- at least this way, his body'll have a chance."

"Yeah, I get you," Catherine agreed. "Just don't let Sara hear you talking like that. She'll kick your ass," she said trying to get him to smile; nothing, not even a smirk. Something was definitely wrong.

"Greg, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said unconvincingly. She gave him an, _I don't believe you_, look.

"I swear, I'm fine," his defenses starting to come up. Catherine decided not to push it.

"Who all is here?" she asked instead.

"Nick is here; he's in the waiting room, asleep. Brass and Warrick are at the lab, they said they'd be back soon. We're still can't get a hold of Sophia. She's at that conference in L.A." Catherine looked at Greg with a raised eyebrow. "She'd want to know," Greg noted quietly.

"I'm gonna- go call Lindsey to let her know what's going on and then I'm going to go check on Sara."

"Okay," Greg whispered as Catherine slipped out the door.

"Coma, huh," Greg said trying to sound light but still not looking at Grissom. He sat himself into the empty chair in which Catherine had been seated. "We, ah- we have everyone at the lab trying to figure out what happened and we think the bombs are linked. I think Catherine's just relieved that it's not her fault this time," he tried to joke but went silent. After a while, he continued, "It- It's scary, isn't, Griss; being in the midst of an explosion. One minute you're safe, just doing your job like you do every day and the next minute, your world is turned upside down; though, it is ironic- to feel safe in a place that you see the horrors of the world,"

Greg paused, finally looking up at Grissom; unwanted tears formed in his eyes. Greg couldn't remember the last time he cried, he didn't do it a lot as a kid and working around crime scenes was starting to make him callus; but looking at his boss, his mentor, his challenger- seeing him covered in cuts and burns and recognizing the pain, something in him ached. "I, um- you know how I said once that you made me nervous? That hasn't really changed; in fact, I think you make me more nervous than before. You know, you're the only one in the lab I can't make laugh. I mean, even Hodges gives up a snicker sometimes. But you- I'm still waiting…" he trailed off. Not being able to sit anymore, Greg stood up and slowly walked around his boss' bed; he couldn't take anymore. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he quickly he rushed out of the room and down the hall.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"What?" asked Sara; still laying in Nick's arms .Nick almost regretted asking the question, almost. He knew Sara and Grissom were together, he'd found out months ago; but he never realized how serious it might be.

Sara had let it slip one night when they were working a crime scene together. Grissom had had the night off and when he noted that they may need him for an entomological time line, Sara said she'd mention it to him when she got home. Nick looked at her stunned and saw her looking stunned right back. She tried to work her way out of it, but in the end, she gave in and told Nick the whole story. Sara swore him to secrecy and they hadn't spoken of it after that night, so it wasn't completely surprising that it was never mentioned; still it hurt, that she didn't trust him with something this important.

"Nick," Sara said, realizing what he was asking. "I was going to tell you. It's just that… I didn't… it only happened last night," she stammered; sitting up. Sara still felt a little dazed and wasn't ready for this conversation. Luckily, Nick said nothing, but patiently waited for her to finish. Sara had never been comfortable being open with people and it was only in the last few years she really started opening up to him. He had learnt to always wait patiently for her when she decided to speak. Before Sara could say more, Catherine came into the door way.

"Has anyone seen Greg?"

"I thought he was in with you and Grissom," Sara said, shaking her head.

"I stepped out a minute to get coffee and when I came back, he was gone." Catherine sat herself opposite of Nick and Sara. "He seems to be taking this really hard," she noted. "He wasn't acting like himself at all."

"Maybe he got a page that they needed him back at the lab," Nick offered. "But, even so, he would've told one of us- if that was the case."

"I don't know. Like I said, he was acting really strange." Sara stood up.

"I think I'm going to go check on Grissom."

"Wait, Sara," Nick stopped her. "Do you mind if I see him first- alone."

"Um, no, that's fine I guess."

"You can come downstairs and wait for Lindsey with me and we'll get you come coffee." Sara said nothing but just nodded.

"Which room?"

"310," Catherine said before leading Sara out of the room.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Nick was about to open the door when he saw the doctor coming to do her rounds.

"Hi," she smiled at him brightly. "Another one of Dr. Grissom's colleagues?" she guessed.

"Yeah, I'm Nick Stokes," he said shaking her hand. "How's he doing?" he asked as they entered the room.

"He was actually lucky," said the doctor. "I know he looks pretty banged up but the fact is, he could've broken his neck and he didn't; most of the injury happened at the toughest part of the skull, which protected him." After making a few notes, she told Nick that she'd be back again in an hour or so and then left.

"Man," Nick said sitting down. "Now, I know how you guys must've felt when I…" he trailed off. "Being right here and not able to do a damn thing." He felt himself starting to get worked up. "You know when I was in that coffin, I decided that if I ever got out, I'd try my hardest to do better for you; that I wouldn't let you down anymore," Nick couldn't hold the angry tears anymore. "Second to my parents, who I've already failed; you're the one that I want to be proud of me." _This is my fault_, Nick thought to himself, _if I hadn't been late for work this morning…_

"I was still mad at you, you know; about the tape. I was mad that you kept it from me. I'm actually still kind of mad," Nick lightly smirked. "Just because you're in a coma, doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook, but since you can't really defend yourself, I guess we're going to have to wait till you wake up to finish this- and, you will wake up. You have too. I'm not done yelling at you," Nick raised his voice slightly. "And you're not done... lecturing me!" Learning forward, Nick covered his face with his hands. After composing himself, Nick, rested his elbows on his knees and looked directly at Grissom, which was taking all his strength. "You've gotta come back to us, Griss. You need to wake so- so you can marry Sara. She is completely lost without you. You're the touchstone in her life and as much as the rest of us try, it's you she really needs."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Mom!" said thirteen years old, Lindsey Willows, shoving money into the partition and hopping out of the car. "Where's Uncle Gil? Is okay? Why didn't you tell me when you called earlier?" Tears were streaming down the teen's face as she grabbed onto her mom. "All you said was that you were with a friend at the hospital! Why did you tell me who it was?"

"I'm sorry, Linds," Catherine said holding her daughter tight.

"I want to see him!" Lindsey demanded.

"Are you sure?" Catherine asked, giving Sara a concerned look. Gil was pretty mangled and she didn't want Lindsey to get freaked out.

"Mom," Lindsey said unyieldingly. "I **want** to see him." Sara nodded and the three of them headed inside.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Catherine asked when they stopped at Grissom's door.

"No," Lindsey said a little less sure of herself that she was letting on. "I- I have to do this myself," her voice quivered slightly. Looking into her mom's questioning eyes she answered, "I can do this."

"Sara, Nick, and I will be in the waiting room. It's down the hall to the left." Lindsey nodded.

"I thought you said Greg was here, too."

"He was, but he's seemed to have disappeared."

"Take your time, Linds," Sara spoke to her for the first time since she'd arrived. "You don't have to go in until you're ready. He's hurt badly; it might be a shock to see him at first- and, he's in a coma."

"A coma!" Lindsey was scared now. She'd read about people who went into coma's and never came out. Seeing the look on her daughter's face, Catherine asked again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Lindsey exhaled. "I'm sure." Reluctantly, Catherine started walking away from her daughter trailed by Sara who turned and gave her one last reassuring look.

Taking a deep breath Lindsey closed her eyes and opened the door. Not ready to look at her Uncle Gil yet, she starred at the floor as she crossed the room and sat herself into the first chair she bumped into.

Without thinking, she start singing, "Gotta get up, I gotta get going, gonna see a friend of mine. He's round and he's fuzzy, I love him because he's just Pooh Bear, Winnie the Pooh Bear, lookin' for fun, chasing some honey bees; Pooh Bear, I know he's out there, rumblee, tumblee, climbin' a honey tree." Again, tears started streaming down Lindsey's face as she gathered up all her courage to look at her favorite uncle. He was cut and burnt and bruised; scared to touch him, Lindsey leaned forward and continued singing through the tears, "Fun never ends with us; we're so adventurous, at least every now and again.

And when we're alone and there's nobody home, it's nice to be able to count on a friend like Pooh Bear, Winnie the Pooh Bear; wherever you go, oh, won't you take me, please," her voice gave a small crack, "Pooh Bear, I gotta be there. It's me and it's you; my silly ol' Winnie the Pooh," As Lindsey concluded, she curled up into the chair and started weeping.

"Remember that, Uncle Gil," she cried angrily. "We always used to watch Pooh together," she reached for the tissue box that was on the stand beside his bed. "Whenever I came over to your house, when Mom was busy; you'd make me PB and J and we'd cuddle up on the couch and you would always sing the intro with me. I was your Roo and you were my Owl; because you knew everything. You still have so much to teach me, Uncle Gil. Please, wake up… please." Still too scared to touch him, she laid her head down beside him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything… damn!

A/N: Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold were two young killers at the beginning of the 20th century who thought they could perfect a murder. For more information please see: http/ 

A/N 2: Sorry this took so long. Writer's Block mixed with a crazy computer is v. hindering… all well… Thank you again, everyone for your support and for reading and reviewing.

xoxoxoxoxo

Suddenly, Lindsey felt something move. "Uncle, Gil?" she lifted up her head. _Am I imagining things?_ She wondered. Grissom's arm moved again slightly and then stopped. Lindsey sat back down in the chair, but after almost a half hour, she gave up hope.

"I think I should go check on her," Catherine paced anxiously around the waiting room. It had been almost an hour and she was starting to get nervous. _Was Lindsey still in there with him, or did she split as Greg did?_ Catherine new how Lindsey could get, especially when she was overwhelmed.

"I'm sure she's fine, Cath," Nick tried to reassure her. "She's strong… like you." Catherine eased herself into the chair beside Nick and took her opportunity while Sara was using the phone. "Do you think he's really gonna be okay?" her eyes drilled into Nick's.

"Honestly," he sighed, "I don't know."

"I'm scared and very worried," she confided.

"Me too," Nick agreed, "especially about Sara… and Greg."

"I'm going to go ahead and call him. He's been M.I.A. long enough," she said dialing Greg's cell, after a few moments, "No answer."

"Let me try," Nick pulled out his cell and dialed Greg's; when he didn't get a response he called the house. "Hey Greg, it's Nick. Call either Catherine's or my cell when you get this message. Bye," he hung up, shaking his head.

"Mom," Lindsey's voice was barely above a whisper as she stepped into the waiting room and went straight to her mother. Catherine's heart broke as Lindsey buried her face in her mothers shoulder and started to bawl. "He moved."

"What?" Sara asked stepping up behind them. Catherine pulled back from her daughter, wiping her hair away from her face.

"Are you sure, Linds?"

"I watched his hand move slightly and I waited for it to move again; I waited for almost thirty minutes, but nothing happened. I need some air." Lindsey headed down to the elevators.

"I'm going to go check on him," Sara said walking out the door.

_This is taking freaking forever!_ Lindsey thought, running toward the stairwell. Taking two to three steps at a time, she dashed out of the corridor and into the parking lot. Pulling out a cigarette from her small handbag, Lindsey went around the corner to light up.

"Hey!" someone called out to her. Jumping, Lindsey screamed.

"Linds, it's okay, it's just me," Greg was sitting in the ally way behind the hospital on a crate.

"What are you doing?" Lindsey asked trying discreetly to put her lighter and cigarette away.

"Not smoking, like some people," Greg said pointedly.

"Everyone's looking for you, you know. Mom and Nick called your cell."

"I couldn't be up there anymore," he said honestly. "Seeing Grissom that way…" he trailed off.

"I know what you mean." Lindsey was now hovering over Greg. "I've known Uncle Gil all my life and I've never seen him hurt before; I've never even seen him sick before. I don't know what to do," she confessed.

xoxoxoxoxo

Sara slipped quietly into Grissom's room. Giving him a once over, she noted that he had more color. Sliding her hands into his, she bent down and kissed his forehead.

"I just got off the phone with Warrick," she whispered. "He said that your office was the target of the explosion. They still have no leads, but they are going through all your case files from the last ten years; seeing if there's anyone you really pissed off. Gil," Sara said with realization, "someone had to have known that we would be eating at that restaurant at that night; being there at the time of the explosion wasn't coincidence. I'm sorry, Baby…" Sara said even softer, "I'm going to have to tell Warrick." She stroked his face gently. "Please, don't give up, Griss; I'm still not ready to say goodbye, yet."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Greg, where the hell were you?" Catherine blurted out. "Nick and I have been trying to reach you."

"I just needed some air."

"Some air?"

"Mom, calm down," Lindsey said stepping in front of Greg. "Not everyone can deal the same way, okay."

"We were just worried," Nicked piped up. "Next time, just let us know, okay," he said turning to Greg, who nodded.

"Okay, well, I think it's time for you to get home, Lindsey."

"Mom!" she cried, exasperated.

"You have school tomorrow."

"I don't have to go, I can-"

"You know, Gil, would want you to go."

"That's not fair, using that against me," she said angrily but she knew it was true. "Fine," she said giving up.

"Why don't you go home with her too, Catherine, I can stay with Sara; you need rest too." Catherine turned to look at Nick.

"Are you sure."

"Yes," he said.

"I don't think I'll get much sleep," she said to Nick. "C'mon Kiddo, let's go home."

xoxoxoxoxo

At ten a.m. the next morning Catherine pulled into the CSI car park. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night but she didn't feel tired anymore either. Retrieving her sunglasses from the overhead compartment she hopped out of the vehicle and started towards the building.

"Catherine! What are you doing here?" Warrick asked running up to her.

"I couldn't sleep and I know we're short handed- What?" she asked noticing a smile on his face.

"We got the guy!" Warrick blurted out. "Actually it was two guys; two teenage boys, Michael Anderson and Zachery Louise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. Remember that case a few years ago with the kids who thought they were the next Loeb and Leopold?"

"Right, the boys who thought they could commit the perfect murder."

"We never got enough evidence to convict either one of them so they walked. Grissom wasn't even on that case," Catherine noted.

"I know," Warrick, said handing her the case file, "but Sara was and he was involved in the case concerning Michael Anderson's cousin, Ashleigh Benningfield."

"Ashleigh was Michael's cousin?" Catherine looked at him in surprise. "We never caught her killer either, did we? You don't think the boys did it?"

"No."

"So let me get this straight, two boys commit a murder and walk for it, then three months ago the cousin one of the boys is murdered and they're pissed off because we can't find her killer. What broke the case?"

"Finger prints."

"Finger prints?" Catherine repeated. "After being so careful the first time."

"Got too cocky I guess. Brass and I are heading off to the hospital to check on Griss and Sara. How's he doing, by the way?"

"He's beat up pretty bad and the doctors have no idea how long this coma could last."

"How's Sara?"

"Scared."

"I would be too," he replied understandingly. "If someone I was gonna marry was lying in a hospital bed…" he trailed off.

"You knew?"

"Hell, yeah! You didn't?"

"I did. I just didn't know anyone else knew."

"How long?"

"A while," Catherine smirked. "Basically I caught them in the break room and then the supply closet."

"What!"

"It was after shift and…" Catherine went on to tell the story. "How about you?" she asked when she'd finished. Warrick laughed.

"I went to check out that new restaurant on the strip the night of the explosion and I saw Sara and Grissom, not unusual at a crime scene; what was unusual was what they were wearing. Grissom was wearing a sweet suit and Sara, whew, Girl was smoking'." Catherine gave Warrick a look to which he responded with a shrug. "It had to be something special to get them out like that. Anyway, I'm out."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Sar?" Warrick's head appeared in the doorway.

"Warrick, hey, come on in." Sara said standing up. Warrick stepped in followed by Brass to whom she nodded.

"How's he's doing?" asked Brass.

"He's stable, which is a good thing."

"And, how are you?"

"Anxious."

"Nick still here?" Warrick asked.

"No. I sent him home, actually, I ordered him home."

"You wanna- grab some coffee with me?" Brass asked as if he was speaking in code.

"Um, I guess…" Sara followed him out of the room and into the hall. "What's up, Brass?"

"I don't know if you know this, but a few years ago I gave Gil- well, I gave him the rights to my life and he gave me his. If anything ever happens to him, medically I have the power of attorney."

"I know. Gil told me when you were… when you were shot. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to do."

"I can imagine. It's just with you being married now. Well, I didn't want too…"

"It's okay, I understand. I mean, it really only happened last night."

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you were there, Jim."

"You know Catherine is going to pitch a fit when she finds out."

"I know." Sara smirked. "Believe me, I know."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Hey Griss," Warrick said trying to sound casual as he sat down beside him. "We, ah, caught the guys. Remember Ashleigh Benningfield? It was her cousin, Michael Anderson, who was a murder suspect a while back and his partner, Zachery Louise." Warrick cleared his throat. "I don't think your office being blown up was a coincidence. I saw you and Sara at the restaurant the other night as well. You're lucky your car was parked on the other side of the car park," he paused, sitting back in the chair, he smiled. "I don't think I'd ever seen Sara smile the way she was that night. I'd never seen either of you smile the way you were that night," a tap came on the door. "Greg," Warrick said as Greg stepped into the room.

"Where's Sara?"

"I think she went to get some coffee with Brass."

"Oh," his face fell.

"Why?"

"I wanted to apologize for being a spaz last night."

"Greg!" a voice startled him and he hit his head on the doorpost as he turned around to see Sara and Brass.

"Oh. Hi," he said holding his head.

"You okay, Greg?" Sara asked smirking.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're gonna have a bump," Warrick said joining them. "I need to see if I can find Tina, I'll be back in a while," he said heading down the hall.

"Sara, can we talk?" Greg asked quietly.

"Sure."

"I'm going to check on Gil," Brass said knowingly, disappearing into the hospital room.

"I'm sorry," Greg cried, "for leaving abruptly last night. I just, I couldn't take it; seeing Grissom laying there. I felt so, helpless." Greg stared at his shoes, not able to look Sara in the eyes.

"Greg," she said waving her hands, "it's okay." He finally looked up giving her a small smile.

"Sara," He said catching her left hand, "are you engaged." She couldn't believe how straightforward he was with his question.

"No," she was thankful that she could answer honestly.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Hey, Pal," Brass said standing beside Grissom's bed. "What a way to start your marriage, huh? Warrick probably told you, but we caught the guys; smug punks. They didn't get away this time, they were too sloppy. I, ah, talked to Sara this morning, letting her know that I have power of attorney. I know when we decided to this these situations were only in the very back of our minds. Neither one of us thought that these things decisions would really have to be made. You didn't give up on me, Gil, and I'm not giving up on you."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Mom you promised to take me over there as soon as school was out!" Lindsey complained loudly. "What if something happened?" Catherine bit her lip. Just because _something_ would happen would not necessarily make it a _good_ something. She hoped Lindsey knew that. "I just want to see him," Lindsey broke through her thoughts. "I need to know he's still… there."

"Give me ten minutes then we're gone, okay?"

"Alright," Lindsey sulked back into her room putting on some music and flopping onto her bed. _What if something did happen? Would it be good or bad? Oh no! Poor Sara, a widow after one day!_ Lindsey smiled sadly. She accidentally heard Uncle Gil talking to Captain Brass about the upcoming marriage when she was snooping around the offices looking for her mother. She surprised her favorite uncle when she bounced into his office and claimed she knew his little secret. Gil knew better than to lie to Lindsey and confessed the whole thing, swearing her to secrecy; as a reward he took her ring shopping with him. It was Lindsey who first spotted the perfect ring for Sara when she saw it in an antique shop window on the strip, the ring that Greg was eyeing on Sara's hand at this very moment.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks again for your patients every one and for your encouragement.

A/N2: This is a repost of Ch 5- sorry. I made a major mistake and needed it to be changed, (for my own sanity). Ch 6 should be up soon.

xoxoxoxoxo

An overanxious Lindsey Willows jumped out of the still moving car; she had insisted that Catherine drop her off before she parked.

"Tell Sara I'll be in."

"Okay," Lindsey said slamming the door shut.

_Please, God let Gil be okay._ Catherine prayed silently. _Lindsey's been through enough, losing her father; please don't let her lose Gil too._

"Can I help you, Miss?" asked the receptionist.

"No," Lindsey said pointedly making her way towards the lift. As soon as the doors opened she made a mad dash for Gil's room. "Sara!" she spotted the small group in the waiting room; Doc Robbins, Nick and Greg had arrived a few minutes beforehand.

"Lindsey, hey," Sara greeted her. "Where's your mom?"

"She's comin'," said Lindsey. "Sara, can I talk to you," she asked. A confused Sara stepped out into the hall with the teenager, leaving the rest of the team to wonder.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Okay, but you have to promise not to be mad at Uncle Gil."

"Okay," Sara said unsure.

"I know," Lindsey stated. Sara shrugged her shoulders but said nothing. "I know about you and Uncle Gil."

"Oh."

"I overheard Uncle Gil talking to Captain Brass about…" then her voice went really low, "about the wedding." Sara was struck with realization.

"You didn't tell anyone did you?"

"Of course not!" Lindsey said slightly offended. "Uncle Gil swore me to secrecy."

"Not even your mom?" At that, Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Have you gotten the crap kicked out of you for not telling her?" Lindsey asked knowingly. "No. Of course she doesn't know. I'm leaving that up to you and Uncle Gil; I don't want to be on the other end of that conversation." After an awkward pause, "I'm gonna go see Uncle Gil now," Lindsey said making her way down the hall. Gently opening the door to his room she slipped in and tip toed over to his bed. With all the courage she could muster, Lindsey reached down and took Gil's hand. "Good morning, Uncle Gil," she barely whispered putting his hand up to her cheek.

"Good morning, Lindsey," came a very horse voice. Lindsey looked up to see her uncle looking back at her through his puffy eyes. The jumbled mix of emotions was beginning to make Lindsey's head spin. _This time I'm** not **imagining things… I hope._

"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod," Lindsey started rambling. "Uh, um… I'll be right back. Don't go- to sleep," she rushed out the door. "He's awake! Sara! He's awake" Lindsey cried running down the hall. Sara, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Brass, and Greg, and the Doc, all rushed into the hallway. "Mom!" Lindsey said spotting Catherine. "He talked to me!" she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He's really awake!"

xoxoxoxoxo

The commotion that took place in the next few minutes could've been described as happy chaos. Catherine questioned her daughter extensively who was still crying in relief, Sara rushed into Gil's room shouting orders at Warrick to get the doctor and for Nick to call- everyone, and Greg was jumping up and down like a kid at Christmas.

"Hey, you," Sara said, placing a kiss on Gil's swollen cheek. "We missed you." He could feel her warm breath mixed with her tears.

"Dr. Grissom?" a woman's voice broke the moment as Dr. Bryant came into the room. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore," Gil smiled weakly. His face and arms felt as though they were still on fire, the rest of his body ached.

"I'll see what we can do about upping the dosage of your painkillers." After checking his vitals and the monitoring machines, she smiled and told him, "welcome back," then turning to Sara, "I'll be back."

"Can we see him?" Sara heard Greg ask excitedly as the doctor left the room.

"Give them a few minutes," she said gently.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Are you thirsty?" Sara held out a cup, Gil nodded.

"Thank you," he said in a raspy voice.

"Don't you dare do that to me again, Gil," Sara whispered with a mock-stern sitting beside him on the bed facing him. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Now you know how I feel," he retorted. "Every time you go out on assignment; I'm always afraid you'll never come back. Do I look as bad as I feel?"

"Worse," Sara teased. "I'm sorry about the other night, Gil. You shouldn't have found out that way." He covered his hand with hers and motioned for more water. After taking a sip, "It's okay, Honey."

"I kept it from you; that was wrong." He nodded, but said nothing.

"I'm scared." Sara touched his forehead with hers. "What if I'm not a good mother?" she bit her lip. He'd already known she was scared, he was scared too; terrified, actually.

"We'll learn together," he reassured her.

"It's just with the job offer and us getting married…It's a lot to handle."

"Believe me, I know. What do you think, about the offer?"

"If it's what you want, I'll support you, you know that."

"I do. You have five smiles, you know."

"What?"

"You do. I've always wanted to tell you that. One when you're trying to hold a secret, one when you…" he was trying to remember them all. "One when you break a case, one when you're trying not to cry, one when you think someone was being stupid, and- one when you look at me." Sara kissed him soundly on the lips. "I love you," she whispered.

After a few minutes of informing Grissom that their case was now solved with the boys in lock up, Sara got up. "Do you mind having a few visitors?" she asked. "Greg's probably going crazy out there and Lindsey, well, she was a mess. I think she needs to be reassured that you're really awake," Sara explained about the hand movement. Gil nodded his approval.

"Send Lindsey in first."

"Okay," Sara said as she walked out the door. "Lindsey," she called down the hall. "He wants to see you," she said as the teen rounded the corner.

"Alright," Lindsey swallowed hard.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, uh, I'm fine."

"Okay, we'll where is everyone else?"

"In the waiting room still- waiting," Lindsey said sounding nervous.

"Just come get us when you're ready," with that she disappeared down the hall.

A, "hi," was said in a fake cheery voice as she approached Gil who was now sitting up.

"Hello, Roo." Lindsey relaxed a little.

"You remembered," she said smiling for real.

"Yes, I did."

"Can I- can I hug you?"

"Of course, Roo," he said with a small smile, "gently."

"I missed you, Owl." Lindsey. "I- I kept your secret, Uncle Gil. About you and Sara. Only, she knows that I know. I told you the ring would be a perfect fit, didn't I!" Lindsey smiled triumphantly. Gil laughed which made his ribs hurt. "It looks like it's always belonged there, Uncle Gil."

"What'd Sara say when you told her you knew?"

xoxoxoxoxo

"So, he's really okay?"

"What did the doctor say?"

"Did you tell him the case was closed?"

Sara was peppered with questions the minute she entered the waiting room. "He's awake. The doctor checked him out and told him he was lucky, and yes, he knows the case it closed."

"Was he scared?" Greg asked in a very quiet voice which made everyone look at him. Catherine and Nick looked at one another knowingly, each of them wondering what Greg was thinking and if he was okay.

"I'm sure he was," Sara replied.

"Who's next?" Lindsey said as she stepped up behind Greg. Without hesitation, Greg split from the room.

"At least we know where he's going this time," Nick said out loud.

Almost skidding past the door, Greg grabbed onto the handle to stop himself. Walking into Grissom's room, he stood on the far side of the bed.

"I- I had to see for myself, that you were okay," he replied to Grissom's look. "Not that I don't believe Lindsey, it's just that, well you know, she said you'd moved last night but she said she might've been imagining things…" he rambled on.

"Greg… Greg… GREG!" Grissom shouted.

"I'm sorry, Grissom. I'm just- you make me-"

"Nervous, I know," Gil finished for him. An older nurse holding a kit came over to the opposite side of Greg.

"I'm setting your IV up to a morphine drip. Here's the remote," she said handing it to him. "Use it sparingly."

"Thank you," Grissom said taking the controls. He didn't want to have to use it at all but at the moment he was in too much pain not to.

"Morphine, a lifesaver," Greg said sarcastically as his pager went off. "It's Ecklie," Greg made a face. "I guess Nick and I are off. I'll send him off to say goodbye."

Once alone, Grissom squirmed, trying to adjust himself. The medicine was starting to kick in which was allowing him to breathe easier. Laying his head back on the pillow, he exhaled loudly. _Sara's pregnant_, he thought to himself. _We haven't even told the team about _us_… or about getting married; how are we going to explain a pregnancy. Maybe this move would be good for us._

A couple of months prior, Gil had received an offer from a teaching lab to be a head professor of the department. It was better pay and less time in the field but, it was also in London, England and it was only for three years.

"Hey, Grissom," Nick said interrupting Gil's thoughts.

"Hey Nick."

"I'm not mad at you anymore," Nick blurted out.

"You were mad at me?" Gil asked thoroughly confused.

"About the tape. Even when I was talking to you the other night, I was still mad, but- I understand now."

"I was going to tell you, Nicky, when you were ready."

"I know, Griss. We'll Ecklie's gonna have our heads if we're not there soon. He also paged Brass and Doc Robbins they said to tell you they'll be back later." Nick nodded before walking out the door.

_What about the team?_ His thoughts resumed. _Could we leave them? Could _I_ leave them?_ It wasn't just about leaving the team, but their whole life, for three years. Grissom thought of the changes that would be happening, even within the next year or so. Doc. Robbins had been talking of retiring, Warrick had talked about moving to Swing Shift, and Catherine had also been offered a teaching job at ULV in the forensic science department. _What would happen to their family?_

"What are you thinking?" He didn't even hear Catherine come in.

"Nothing."

"Gil, c'mon, I know that look- spill."

"I was thinking about the job offer."

"Mine?"

"Mine."

"When did you get a job offer?"

"A while back. I was offered a three year position for a teaching lab in London."

"London- England?"

"Yes."

"For three years?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know."

"What does Sara say about it?" A surprised look came across his face.

"Oh c'mon, I knew."

"She says she'll support me either way. When did you know?" As Catherine recounted the time when she had found out their little secret, Gil laughed.

"So what exactly did happen in bed that morning?" Gil laughed again.

"I had made breakfast for Sara that morning and though I'd surprise her by serving it to her in bed. Unfortunately, I slipped on my pants that were still on the floor from the night before and spilled it all over the bed, and Sara. She wasn't too happy to be woken up with pancakes and syrup all over her. She was also mad because she barely had enough time to get a shower before work, that's why her hair was up all day. It was completely an accident and she knew it. She just wanted to make me suffer."

"We'll, at least there's nothing wrong with your memory," Catherine noted as her pager went off. "Ah! What does Ecklie want now!" she said storming toward the door. "Hey," she said turning around, "can you ask Sara-"

"She'll take Lindsey home," he interrupted. "Payback for the blood. Thanks, by the way."

"The offer sounds like a good one, Gil. I honestly don't know how we'd survive without you, although I'm sure we would, it would just be hard. Three years is a long time," she said, leaving him to his thoughts.

"A very long time," he murmured to himself once she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No owning… only playing…

A/N: Spoiler for Pilot and Cool Change.

A/N2: _Casablanca_. Michael Curitz.USA.1942

xoxoxoxoxo

Two months had past since the accident. While recovering, Gil had a lot of time to think about his life; job offer, new wife, and now baby; Sara was into her third month and starting to show. He knew moving his growing family to England would be a major change, not just for Sara and him, but for the rest of the team as well. He also knew that Sara would support him in his decision, what he didn't know was if this was the time to uproot her from the only real family Sara had ever known. Smiling, Grissom thought back to when Sara had first arrived at CSI in Las Vegas.

A lot had changed in six years. Nick had just made CSI level 3, Holly Gribbs had been shot, Warrick was being investigated because he had left her at the scene, and Brass was moved to homicide. Except for himself, no one, especially Catherine, wanted Sara to be there and from what Sara had told him, Catherine had made their first encounter one to remember. Now, after their ups and downs other years, the team was closer than ever. Warrick, Nick, Catherine, Greg, Brass, and Doc Robbins, were apart of them and even though he'd never admit this to anyone but Sara, they all meant a great deal to him; leaving them would be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do.

_Dr. Whitaker_, he typed out, _After care consideration of your proposal…_

"A franc for your thoughts," Sara interrupted, sitting a cup of coffee beside him.

"A franc?" Grissom looked up from his computer screen confused.

"Yeah, you know, from _Casablanca_."

"Oh," he was obviously preoccupied.

"Well…" she asked patiently pushing her hair behind her ears.

"How would you like to go to London?" he asked.

"You've made your decision," Sara stated without any giving away any emotion. Even though she was torn on the idea of going to London she didn't want Gil to know, not just yet, anyway. This was too important of a decision to let it pass him by. She also trusted him to think about them as a couple and also them as a family and knew that ultimately it would be a joint decision.

"No. I meant for a few weeks, to check it out."

Feeling somewhat relieved, Sara waited a few moments and then said, "When would we go?"

"Soon. You can't fly in your third trimester. You don't have to come, of course, but I'd really-"

"I'm definitely coming."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"I'll go ahead and make the arrangements. Catherine can supervise for a few weeks and Ecklie doesn't have to be completely in the know."

"Does he even know about the offer?"

"No, and I don't want him too. Not yet."

"I'm going to finish working on that casefile I brought home and then I'm gonna catch some sleep." Sara yawned as she picked up the manila envelope on the desk. Pulling her silk robe around her, she kissed Gil softly on the top the head. Getting, up Gil pulled her into his arms.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her.

"I know," she said whispered back into his ear. "Don't be up too late."

xoxoxoxoxo

"So, I heard you were off to visit jolly 'ole England," Greg Sanders said bouncing into the breakroom two weeks later. "Does that mean you're leaving the hot sands of Nevada for the wet street of London?" He grabbed a soda from the mini fridge and plopped into the seat across from Sara who quietly flipping through tourist books and munching on crackers. Looking up, she smiled sadly at Greg. "Hey what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she tried to blow off the question but Greg was not about to let her off that easy.

"C'mon, tell me," he coaxed taking a sip of his drink.

"We haven't even left yet and I'm missing this place."

"So you don't really want to leave," it wasn't a question but wasn't a statement either.

"I don't know."

"Have you talked to Grissom about this?"

"We both have apprehensions about leaving, but that's normal."

"Yeah, but have you told Grissom what you're **feeling**?"

"No. I don't plan to until after we get back. I want to at least give it a chance first."

"Understandable." He took another sip.

"Yo! Greg, you and me 419, let's go!" Warrick yelled from down the hall.

"Yeah, comin'. What's your flight schedule?" Greg asked pulling out a notebook.

"American Airlines flight 136 LV to LA, eight o'clock a.m.; American Airlines flight 122 LA to JFK eleven o'clock a.m.; British Airways flight 26 JFK to London at nine-thirty p.m. We should get there about seven-thirty the next morning."

"Greg!" Warrick called again.

"I'm coming, Warrick! Bye," Greg sprinted out the door.

"Bye Greg," Sara said after he was gone.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Now boarding section 1 for flight 122, New York JFK to London Heathrow, now boarding section 1, only," an over cheery voice came over the loud speaker.

"You ready?" Grissom asked pulling out their tickets and grabbing their carry-on bags.

"I think so." Only last night had Sara mentioned that she had a fear of flying. She didn't really mind flying short distances, so the first two flights were painless, it was this next flight she was dreading.

"You'll be fine," he reassured her, handing holding out her ticket. "You have your passport?"

"Yes," she said pulling it out.

"Okay then, let's go."

"Good evening," said the short, red haired, super cheery flight attendant. Sara said nothing but smiled and held out her papers to the woman. Checking her passport the flight attendant slid the ticket through the machine and handed it back to Sara.

"Have a good flight Mrs. Grissom." Sara smiled to herself. When she and Gil had started to talk about getting married, Sara decided to take his name; God knows how long she waited for him. She was all too happy to toss her old passport away, especially since the picture was taken at a horrible time in her life, a time she didn't need memories of. She looked down at her new passport as the flight attendant handed it back to her, her passport that read Sara Elisabeth Grissom.

Sara waited as Gil said handing the woman his ticket. "Good evening," he said pleasantly. Checking his passport, she slid the ticket through the machine, ripped it at the crease and handed back the stub.

"Have a good flight, Mr. Grissom.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Ladies in gentlemen, we are about to start are descent, please stow all luggage beneath your seat or in the overhead compartments, make sure your tray tables and chairs are in their upright and locked positions, and your window shades are open," the captain's voice came over the speakerphone. "Flight attendance, please do your final checks and prepare for landing. Thank you."

"Finally," Sara grumbled.

"It wasn't that bad, Sara."

"That's because you can sleep through anything, Gil. I swear if our child…" Gil started laughing.

"Don't worry; **our** child will not be like that."

"Fine."

"You have your immigration card?"

"Yeah, it's somewhere," Sara rummaged through the back pocket of the seat in front of her. "Here it is!" she pulled it out. Gil handed her a stick of gum. She happily accepted the gum and popped it into her mouth.

"What time is it?"

"Seven a.m. We're ahead of schedule."

"Good." Sara closed her eyes for the descent.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just- tell me when we've landed."

"I think you'll be able too-" they felt the wheels touch down. "We've landed." Gil smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen thank you for flying British Airways today, we hope you had a pleasant flight to London where the local time is seven and the temperature is eighteen degrees Celsius, which is about sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Please make sure to have your immigration cards filled out and ready for Customs. Again, this is Steven Collis thank you for flying with us today."

"Ladies and gentlemen please remain until we have come to a full stop and the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. On behalf of myself and the crew we thank you for flying British Airways."

Sara pulled her bag out from underneath her seat and dug around for her passport. By the time she located it, the captain had finally turned off the seatbelt light and they were free to get up. Opening the over head bin, Grissom pulled down his duffle and their jackets.

"Did Dr Whitaker say where to go from here?" Sara asked as they make their way towards the front of the plane.

"He sent a car for us, I believe."

"Welcome to England," said the one of the flight attendant at the exit. Grissom nodded toward the group and stepped off the plane and into the terminal.

"I'm so glad you talked me out of bringing my roll carry-on. It would've been a pain," Sara noted thankfully when they were half way down the second long hall they had to take to get to customs. "Wow, there's no line." They made their way through the ropes.

"That's 'cause we were in the front of the plane."

"I still can't believe they offered to pay for our flight and upgraded us to first class. I guess they want you pretty bad," Sara said sadly.

"Miss, right here please," called out a voice from one of the customs counters. Sara stepped up to the counter to the right as Grissom was called to the counter on the far left.

"Hello ma'am," said the older gentleman. "May I see your passport and immigration paper please?" Sara handed him the papers. "So, what are you doing in the UK?"

"Checking out a possible job option for my husband."

"And where were you before you came here?"

"The States."

"How long are you staying?" Sara suddenly felt sick.

"Um…two weeks."

"Where are you staying?"

"The Marriot, I think."

"Thank you," he said handing back her passport. "Have a good stay."

"Thanks," Sara gathered up her belonging and headed toward Grissom who was already through.

"Let's get our luggage and get out of here," he said as she approached. Walking down the ramp-way, Gil reached out for Sara hand and cupped it in his. She was shaking, which meant something was wrong. Making a mental note to ask her about it once they were situated, he led her to the carousel. Grabbing their suitcases, they made their way through the no-declaration hall and finally to the exit. It was Sara who spotted a man in a black suit holding out a sign that said: **GRISSOM**

Walking up to the man, Gil said, "Hi. I'm Gil Grissom."

"Dr. Grissom, Ms. Sidle. This way," he said, loading their luggage onto the trolley and leading the way outside. "Wait, here. I'll bring the car around," he instructed.

"Where to, Dr. Grissom?" asked the driver called James.

"London Marriott Hotel Park Lane," Grissom said reading off a piece of paper.

"Central London."

"I guess," Grissom said shrugging as he motioned for Sara to get into the backseat. Once they were on their way to Central London, Sara finally relaxed. Leaning on Grissom who adjusted himself to make her more comfortable, she closed her eyes.

"Are you okay, Sara," Grissom asked barely above a whisper.

"Why?"

"You were shaking back there."

"Well, the guy at customs asked me how long we were staying and it got me to thinking that next time someone at one of those desks asks me that, it might not be only two weeks- and that kind of freaked me out."

"Are you saying you definitely don't want to do this?" He asked with sheer concern. "Because if that's the case, I'll tell the driver to go back and we'll go home and forget-"

"No, Gil," Sara sat up and looked into his eyes. "It just… caught me off guard. You deserve to at least check this out, that's why we're here. You wouldn't let me just blow off a great job offer and I'll be damned if I let you do the same. I love you and if this is what you want, then we'll do it. I'll be hard, yes, but I'll adjust- we'll adjust." Gil said nothing but instead kissed Sara with everything he had. He knew at that moment no matter what happened in their life; Sara would always be on and at his side.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: What do you think… of course not!

A/N: The London part is loosely based on my year in London. Wagamama and PAUL are both two of my favourite restaurants in London. Kensington Garden is my favourite place in all of London, to study, to walk, to get away…

A/N 2: _Peter Pan_ is a story by J.M Barrie, I recommend it to be read... and of course I don't own it either… just a copy of the book.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Welcome, Dr. Grissom, Ms. Sidle," Professor Whitaker said shaking Grissom's hand and then Sara's. To a complete stranger, Whitaker looked nothing like a Professor of science. In fact, the image gave Grissom an idea of what Greg might look like when he was older. Tall and lanky with short blonde hair and hazel eyes, the fifty-something man wore, jeans, a tee shirt and blazer, and high tops.

"Thank you," Gil replied as Whitaker motioned for them to follow him down the corridor. Set in central London near the British museum the marble and dark oak gave the building a majestic look and was truly an architectural beauty. Following Professor Whitaker up the marble staircases, Grissom took Sara's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, which she returned with a smile.

"What do you think of London so far?" asked the Professor, turning to look at Sara.

"I'm not sure what to think of it, yet, Professor. It's such a huge and busy city, but it has these amazing parks in the middle of it."

"We pride ourselves in our parks.

"Which on is your favourite?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Hyde Park," he replied without hesitation.

"Ah, where Peter Pan resides," Grissom answered with a goofy grin. Sara gave him an amused but shocked look.

"Yes, in Kensington Gardens. I believe the park is near your hotel."

"We're staying near the entrance of Marble Arch." Sara smiled to herself; Gil never ceased to amaze her and she made a mental note to ask him about Peter Pan when they were alone.

"Good, good. Here we are," he led them into a small room they presumed to be his office. It was tiny room with one small window in the corner that over looked some kind of garden. "We're just going to have a quick meeting today and then we have a lunch with Professor Clarke and Dr. Stowe our heads of department," Whitaker said taking a look at his diary. "Please take a seat." For the next hour and half the Professor informed them of Gil's duties should he take the position offered, which included lectures, demonstration, field instruction and counsel, simulation overhead, and travel through out England and other parts of Europe. They also discussed what was included in the package of the offer including moving and living expenses, salary, and travel expenses. "I've also been informed, Dr. Grissom, that we have found an open position in the forensic physics department that we would like to offer Ms. Sidle."

"Oh," Sara didn't know what else to say. Although she had thought about what she would do with her career if they moved to England, she never brought it up with Gil. He obviously had thought about it too and had even thought enough to have made the inquiry. This thought brought a smile to her face. When she realised she was smiling like an idiot, she said, "I'll think about it."

"Brilliant. Your duties would be about the same as Dr. Grissom, except your expertises would of course be in physics. Do you like Asian food?" He quickly changed the subject; Sara had to work to suppress a giggle.

"Yes," Gil answered for both of them.

"Great," Whitaker said looking at his watch. "We're having lunch at Wagamama, have you heard of it?"

"Um, no," Grissom said frowning slightly.

"It's kind of like… a noodle bar."

"Like Noodle Shop, Gil," Sara informed him.

"Oh," Grissom shrugged. Walking outside, a fresh breeze swept by them and Sara sighed contently. Dr. Whitaker walked ahead of them a little bit, giving them privacy and a chance to talk, which didn't happen for the first five minutes.

"What did you think?" Sara asked, breaking the silence.

"It sounds… different," Gil replied slowly. "It's a good opportunity, but is it the right one?" the last part Gil said more to himself than to Sara.

"Would you happy here?"

"Yes…" he paused, "because you'll be by my side." Sara smiled. _That was the cheesiest and sweetest thing, Gil_, she thought to herself.

"Seriously, what do you think?"

"I think it's a major decision. And one we don't have to make in a single day. The job offer itself it's nice; the financial package is more than fair. I just don't want- I don't know if this is the right time to uproot you, us, from… everything; with a new baby and all to move away from Vegas, from the team, from our life." He shook his head. "What do you think?"

"I think that it is a great opportunity for you- for us. Thank you, by the way, for checking on a position for me."

"You're welcome," Gil slid in before Sara continued,

"Believe me, this will be a major change for the both of us. Our life together so far has been nothing but change, but it's always worked out for the best. Warrick, Nick, Greg, Catherine, Brass, Robbins, they're really the only family I've ever known and to move away from them will be hard, very hard; they've been my support system for so long, but we can't stay in Vegas just for them. Whether we stay or leave, it needs to be for us."

xoxoxoxoxo

Exactly five hours later, Gil Grissom was walking down the gravel path in search of _Peter Pan_. Following lunch, Dr. Whitaker had left them to venture through London on their own giving them a map of the Underground and showing them how to get ravel cards from the machine, just in case they wanted to travel further than walking distance. After wondering down to Oxford Street and fighting their way to Debanhams and then further down to Selfridges, Sara was starting to get woozy so they made the short trek to their hotel. For a while Gil just sat and watched Sara sleep. Her sleeping patterns were erratic at best so to watch her actually sleep brought a strange peace. Phoning Catherine to let her know they had landed safely, something he was supposed to have done hours ago, he then phoned the front desk to wake Sara in another hour and wrote a quick note to Sara telling her he had gone in search of the statue and would be back soon.

So, now here he was, wondering past the Italian Fountains and straight on the path that would take him back to his child hood. _Peter Pan_ had always been a favourite story of his; it was the first chapter book he had learnt to read and even though Peter could be selfish and even cruel at time, Gil admired the way he was able to just escape time and reality and fly away to the Neverlands; and take Gil with him, if only for a short time. Now was not a time in his life that Gil wanted or needed to escape. He was happy, no, not happy, he was content with his life. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt how much he loved Sara and how much the love was returned. His thought turned back to their earlier conversation. Sara was right, if they stayed in Vegas or moved to London it needed to be for them. Finally, standing in front of the bronzed statue, Grissom closed his eyes. He could hear the lapping of the water behind him and the sounds of tourist and daily visitors; when he opened his eyes again he knew exactly what the answer to his question would be, standing in front of one of his child hood heroes, everything became crystal clear.

xoxoxoxoxo

The next morning, it was Sara who was in search of a landmark as the sun rose. She had gotten up early to go running and decided to make her way through Hyde Park. When she was done lulling around the Italian Fountains, Sara set off in search of the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and almost missed the bronzed statue of _Peter _and afterwards set off again. Spotting a hidden path in the trees, Sara crept up the steps; stone sides enclosed the earthy path and Sara felt as though she'd found a secret place. Sitting herself in the middle of the natural bridge, she thought about what it would be like to be able to run in this park and parks alike if they moved to London. She let her mind wonder into the future, sorting out the differences between staying in Vegas and moving here and she knew what she wanted, what she needed, now she needed to talk to Gil. Getting up, Sara ran back towards _Peter Pan_, past the Italian Fountains, and back across the park to the Marble Arch.

xoxoxoxoxo

"You've been awfully quiet today," Sara noted as she and Gil walked down Marylebone High Street. It was their second to last day of their London excursion and after doing some "tourist" shopping, they decided to grab a quick bite to eat at a bakery called PAUL.

"I was just thinking about the past two weeks."

"Do you think we made the right decision?"

"Yes," he said as-matter-of-factly. "Do you want to stop at Daunt's afterwards?" he quickly changed the subject.

"Sure," she said letting him guide her into the small bakery which had a quaint dinning room attached at the back. Daunt was Sara's new favourite book store. The quaint book store on the High Street was beautiful inside and out and the sent reminded her of an old library she used to visit in San Francisco.

"Two," he informed the hostess.

"Right this way," she said showing them to a small table near the back.

"Where all are we headed today?" Gil asked once they were seated and had ordered.

"I thought we'd start at Camden Market and work our way down and over to Baker Street and then catch the bus that will take us near Portabella Road and from there we could either go to the Victoria Albert Museum or the Natural History Mus-"

"Are you sure you're going to be up for all of that, Sara?" Grissom asked very seriously which made Sara start to giggle.

"I don't know, I guess we'll see. C'mon, Gil, it's our last day in London- at least for now, so we should see as much of it as we can."

Laughing, Grissom surrendered, "Okay, okay. Just promise me we'll ride leave time to ride the London Eye."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Last call for American Airlines flight 189 boarding all sections at gate 21B, Last call American Airlines flight 189 boarding all sections at gate 21B," said a male voice over the intercom.

"C'mon Gil, we're going to be late!" Sara said nearly running. Luckily this time, they had checked all their belongings except for Grissom's laptop and Sara's handbag. It had been a long and very unpleasant journey back to the States. This time, they had flown from London to France and then onto Chicago, they had almost missed their connection flight and then the plane sat on the runway for almost two hours because of a freak lightning storm, which made them late for their current flight they need to make to get back to Vegas. Almost running into the flight attendant, Sara practically threw her boarding pass at the woman. "Here!"

"Thank you, ma'am," she said taking the ticket and then Grissom. To them both she said, "Have a good flight."

"Thanks," they both grumbled back.

"Are you ready for this?" Gil asked once they were seated.

"I'm ready for anything," Sara replied with a smile.

xoxoxoxoxo

"So how was the flight?" Nick asked hugging Sara. Nick, Warrick, Greg, and Catherine had been at the arrivals gate waiting for them.

"Don't even ask," Grissom replied for her.

"It was horrible," Sara whispered to Nick with a yawn.

"At least you're back on the ground, safe and sound," said Warrick, leading the group to baggage claim.

"Are you guys up for some dinner before we've got to get back to work?" Catherine asked as the Nick and Greg grabbed the luggage off of the belt.

"I guess," Sara said yawning again.

"Girl, maybe you should just go home," Warrick said with a concerned look.

"No," yawn, "it's okay, I should stay awake for at least a couple more hours."

"Twenty bucks says she's out before we get to the diner," Warrick whispered to Nick who shook his hand, "Deal."

"How did you like London?" Greg asked once they had been seated and their orders taken.

"It's a beautiful city," Sara said trying to stay awake. _Come on, body, just a few more hours._

"Are you sure you don't want to get some more sleep," Warrick asked with a grin. He had won the bet when Sara turned out to be asleep before they even exited the air port.

"No," Sara's eyes shot wide open. "I'm good, I swear." Nick and Greg snickered. "Shut up," Sara mumbled.

"It's it beautiful enough to live in?" Catherine asked, getting to the point.

"Yes…" said Grissom, "but not for us. After talking to Dr. Whitaker, taking tours of the university, meeting with the current heads of departments, and taking some personal time to talk, we," he looked at Sara who nodded, "have decided that this isn't the right time."

"Was Whitaker disappointed?" Greg asked. Gil shrugged.

"At first he was," said Sara. "But, he also told us the offers are open ended. Well, at least until they find another entomologist they like as much as Gil," she smiled lamely. Nick, Warrick, and this time Greg all exchanged money making Catherine, Gil, and Sara snicker.

"Why wasn't I included in this?" Catherine asked in a mock serious tone.

"Um…"

"Well…"

"We…"

The boys were failing to find good explanations. "The Lab Rats were in on it," Greg slipped and everyone looked at him.

"Yeah, that made me feel better," Catherine rolled her eyes.

"Nice one, Greg," Nick shook his head as his pager went off. "We'll, I guess we're off," he said pointing to Warrick.

"We should get going too," Catherine said to Greg, sliding out of the booth. "Get her home," she pointed to Sara who had her head against the window, asleep.

"C'mon Sleeping Beauty," he said helping her out of the booth. "I thought I was supposed to be the one who could sleep anywhere."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do you honestly think if I owned any of this I'd only be writing fan fiction… durr…

A/N: I know this is a **short** chapter, and **full of fluff**, I'm working on the next one, which is a bit more serious.

A/N2: I've never been pregnant so anything medical is all speculation and from research.

A/N3: I have nothing against the names Acacia, Leslie, Jennifer or Abigail.

Reference: Shooting Stars 6x4 and I guess possible spoiler from Double Cross 7x5

xoxoxoxoxo

"Hi, I'm here to see Dr. Aiden," Sara said stepping up to the window.

"Please sign in and have a seat," a rough looking older woman said emotionless, without looking up; she was preoccupied with whatever was happening on her computer screen.

_Where is Gil_, Sara wondered silently glancing at the clock. This was her fourth month check up and it was also supposed to be Gil's first time at the doctors with her. She didn't like going alone, but they'd never been able to work out their schedule as to when he could accompany her until now… if he showed up. Quickly signing her name on the twenty-seventh line, Sara took a seat in one of the rows of burgundy coloured chairs. Staring at the wall aquarium, she watched the fish swimming back and forth, waiting patiently for her name to be called. _I told him 2 o'clock sharp_, she started to get slightly agitated.

The large wooden door opened and the nurse from the reception desk called out, "Sara Sidle." Picking up her handbag, she followed the nurse down the hall. After changing, Sara sat patiently on the table taking in the room. There were pamphlets and posters all over the walls, showing the progression of the baby through the months and giving tips for soon-to-be mom and dads.

"Excuse me; I'm looking for Sara-" Gil came busting through the front door. He knew he was late and he hated that, mainly because he knew he was in for a well deserved lecture from Sara but what he was dreading the most was the disappointed look on her face.

"She just went in, Sir, through that door," the nurse instructed. Opening the door to the privet room, Gil came towards her with an expression one his face that said, 'please don't kill me.'

"Hi," Sara's frustrated evaporated; she was just happy he'd finally made it.

"I'm sorry," he apologised as the nursed led them into the room.

"You're forgiven." Sara kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm guessing this is your first child?" A younger, raven haired nurse came in with a smile.

"Yes," they answered together as the nurse went about checking the machines.

"Are you nervous," she asked.

"Very," Sara said with a small nervous laugh.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling you'll both be fine." After taking Sara's vitals and going through some Q&A the nurse said, "Okay, we'll that's seems to be all. I'll send in Dr. Aiden for the sonogram and for any other question you may have."

"Thank you," Gil said as she walked out of the room. Getting up from his spot beside Sara, he walked over to one of the posters on the wall and then walked back to her other side. Picking up her hand, he kissed her knuckles.

"Gil?"

"Yes."

"Would you rather have a boy or a girl?" Sara asked thoughtfully.

"A girl," he said without hesitation, which surprised Sara but before she could say anything he responded with the same question.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I guess I never thought about it before. Either one would be fine, as long as he or she is healthy."

"I agree."

"Why a girl?"

xoxoxoxoxo

"So, have you found out the sex?" asked a very impatient Catherine as she and Sara were getting ready for work.

"Yes."

"And…"

"Hey guys, what's up?" Nick sauntered into the locker room.

"Sara was just about to tell me what sex the baby was."

"Wait till Warrick and Greg get here, they're walking down the hall," Nick said suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Um… just because."

"Are you guys betting on this too?" Sara rolled her eyes; she could care less if the guys were betting on this.

"Hell, yeah!" Warrick exclaimed coming in with Greg behind him.

"So?" Greg asked with anticipation.

"It's a girl."

"Yes!" Catherine jumped up and down. "I so told you! Hand it over. C'mon, boys." She held out her hand to two very sour looking guys and then slapped Nick on the shoulder. "See, Nicky, I told you we were right."

"Yeah, but Grissom told you-"

"Oh," Greg raised his eye brow.

"He told me yesterday," she punched Nick in the arm. "It was still after the bet was made."

"Fine, fine," Greg surrendered.

"C'mon, let's go before Grissom's head explodes," Warrick said looking down at his watch, they were ten minutes late. Walking into the breakroom, Catherine slapped Gil on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Griss," she said coyly.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Acacia."

"Like the tree?"

"How about Leslie?"

"No."

"Jennifer?" Grissom asked exasperated as Sara gave him an "are you kidding" look. They had just gotten off shift and had decided to run to the market to pick up something for breakfast before heading home when Grissom started throwing out names.

"Maria?" she responded, pushing the cart down the next isle.

"Maybe." Gil grabbed the soy milk and a carton of 1

"Abigail?"

"No."

"What's wrong with Abigail?"

"Remember that case a while back with the cult and the spaceship?"

"Yes… oh, that's right her name was Abigail." Grissom nodded.

"Elizabeth?"

"It's so over done."

"Yeah, but it's you're middle name."

"Exactly."

"We could spell it with an "s"."

"True," this time Sara nodded.

"Okay, so 'Elisabeth' is on the table."

"I guess."

"I want our daughter to have a strong name," he thought out loud. "I want her name to mean something; to be a tell tale of her character. Like Elisabeth-

"-From Pride and Prejudice," Sara finished for him. After a moment, "Why are we talking about this now- in the middle of the store?" Sara asked more amused than anything else. She hadn't realised that Gil had been thinking about this so much.

"I'm tried of calling her, "her" or "the baby"."

"Fair enough," Sara said picking out some orange juice. "How about Josephine?"

"From _Little Women_," this time Grissom finished the sentence. Grabbing some pancake mix and some soy sausage, they made their way to the check out.

"Emma."

"Hmmm?"

"Emma. She was always one of my favourite book characters as a child."

xoxoxoxoxo

"Catherine, no baby shower."

"Come on, Sara, please," Catherine whined, storming down the hall after Sara.

"No! I will absolutely not be…"

"You have to have one for the first baby, it's tradition."

"Exactly." Sara walked into the locker room and threw open her locker.

"Okay," Catherine sat beside her on the bench. "I know you don't like tradition, but think about it, Sara; it's your **first** baby. Don't you want to remember important moments?" Everything in Sara's body screamed, _Don't do it!_ But she also knew that Catherine would never relent if she said no.

"Fine!" Sara threw up her hands. "I'll do it." Grabbing out her badge and a few personal things, she slammed the door shut and headed toward the break room to wait for assignments.

"Good, 'cause it's tomorrow morning after shift." Catherine chased after her.

"What!" Sara stopped in the middle of the hall so fast that Catherine ran into her.

"Sorry," Catherine laughed. "Yeah, I knew that when I finally got you to agree that I would have to pull it off quickly before you changed your mind."

"You knew I was going to give in!" Sara stared at her. "Nevermind," she sighed, "don't answer that." After a pause, Sara asked, "Gil knows about this, doesn't he." Instead of answering, Catherine gave her a winced look.

"Well, I did need some help." Walking into the break room, they were met by three screaming guys in front of a television and a gaming system.

"Are you guys still playing that?" Sara said, taking bottled water from the fridge and sat down beside Nick who was yelling at Greg to cover his back.

"I'm trying, Nick, but Warrick won't get out of my way!" Catherine stifled a laugh as she sat down in the chair opposite of Warrick.

"Whoa, don't go blaming me because both of you suck. Go! Go! Go!" Warrick ordered.

"Give it to me!" Sara pulled the controller off of Nick. "There, happy now, 'Rick?" He greeted her smile with a half smile of his own.

"When did you learn to play this?"

"It's one of my secret talents," she smirked at Greg, "isn't it, Gregory."

"Yes," he sulked. "Don't ever play against Sara," he said to the guys, "I learnt that the very hard way."

"We'll, if you four are done playing, can we get to work now?" asked a male voice; no one had noticed Gil come in to the room.

"Um, yeah," Greg jumped up shutting off the system.

"Okay, guys you're working on a triple homicide," he handed the slip to Nick. "You're primary on this." Nick nodded. "Sophia is waiting for you at the house; you guys should head out now." They all nodded in compliance.

"Catherine, you and I are on a hit and run on the Strip; Brass is going to meet us there. We think it may be connected to the hit and run last week, same M.O. So, Sara, I need you to-" Taking a cue from Sara's very angry look on her face, Catherine said, "Uh, I'll meet you in the car," and exited the line of fire.

"Gil, you can not do this to me!"

"Sara, I need you to go over the Hensen case, please. Go over all the notes from Doc Robbins, Vartann, and Nick and Greg."

"You just don't want me out on the field!" Sara was pissed. "This is wrong, **Grissom**," she hadn't called him last for a while and it made him step back a little.

"It's not that Sara and you know it," Grissom could feel himself getting angry. "I need your super sharp eyes right now. Look, Nick and Greg had a lead on a Mrs. Castle; it if it'll make you feel better, you can go out there and do a follow up… with Vartann."

"Fine," Sara calmed down a little.

"I'll call you when we get any information." He kissed the top of her head quickly.

"Hey," Sara called out. "I love you," she mouthed. Gil smiled, "I love you too, Dear."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own, I rent… okay, not even that; I just play…

A/N: Sorry this chapter has taken so long; things are really crazy around here. For those of you in the US or Canada who've shopped at Best Buy this time of year, you know how crazy the store can get. Thank you for your patients.

A/N2: The explosion and conception happened in July and Sara is now 4 months pregnant, (just to clarify the time line)

A/N3: I do not own the riddle, if you want the website, please let me know, I'll send it to you; it won't let it show up.

xoxoxoxoxo

Grissom, come quickly!" Greg yelled, running down the hall toward Gil's office.

"What, Greg?" he asked in a tired voice.

"It's Sara…" that was all Gil needed to hear. He bolted out of his seat and down the hall. "She fainted," Greg finished. "Vartann said be was bringing her back to the lab after the follow up with Mrs. Castle and she started to get pains and went all ridged. She threw up twice since they've gotten back; now she's lying down in the break room." Grissom's heart almost stopped as he stepped into the room. Peacefully lying on the couch, Sara had a wet cloth on her head. Kneeling down beside her, he softly caressed her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Sara?" He whispered.

"Hey," she whispered back opening her eyes. "Greg?" she asked.

"He was worried. Are you okay?

"Yeah, I just- started to get a little sick; probably the heat. He really didn't need to get you," she said only half annoyed. Gil wasn't convinced. This morning she was throwing up violently after shift, which is why he didn't want her coming in to work in the first place.

"Maybe you should go to the doctor," he said pointedly.

"Maybe you shouldn't worry so much," she snapped back.

"Sara, please," Grissom pleaded. "You're still throwing up and it's way too frequently. I really think…"

"No," she sat up, "First of all you give me a bullshit assignment and then…" she sighed. "Look, I know that this is new; remember, it is for me too. I just need you to trust me, to know what I can handle," raising her hands to stop his interruption, "I know that hasn't been my strong point, but I'm trying, really. I just need you to let me do my job, okay?"  
"Sara," he paused, trying to find words that wouldn't make her more upset. "Okay, I admit, I was worried about you. I mean, last night you were horribly sick and then again this morning; but, I also meant what I said earlier, I need your eyes. This is turning into major case and the sheriff has been on my back; it's not that I don't trust Catherine, Warrick, Nick, or Greg; but I **needed** you." Gil smiled slightly. Sitting beside her on the sofa, he kissed her hair gently. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

"Yes." She was less sure than she tried to sound and Gil wasn't buying it, but instead of picking another fight, he simply nodded. "I'll make an appointment if it'll make you feel better."

xoxoxoxoxo

Sitting on the exam table, Sara was feeling queasy and not because of the pregnancy. After almost an hour of vomiting and dry heaves at the doctors that morning, Dr. Aiden had sent Sara over to Palm Spring for testing and Sara was scared. She called Gil who had been out on assignment and said he'd be there as soon as possible.

"Sara?" a knock came at the door. Catherine's head appeared in the crack. "How are you holding up?"

"Catherine-" Sara nodded for her to come in.

"Where's Gil?"

"Stuck at the lab," Catherine closed the door. "I told him I'd come and stay with you until he could get here."

"Thank you," Sara said tearing up. "I'm scared, Catherine. I don't know… I mean, what if… I feel like…" she finally gave in to the sobs.

"What did the doctor say this morning?" Catherine asked in a soothing voice, sitting down beside her.

"She doesn't know what's wrong," Sara blurted through her tears. "What if it's something we can't fix?"

"I remember when I was pregnant with Lindsey," Catherine smiled wistfully. "I was so scared; Eddie was always off doing his thing, never around," she paused, "but Gil was always there when I needed him; whether it was three a.m. cravings or being in so much pain I couldn't lay straight, he was there and he'll be there for you… even more so since it's his kid," she added with a chuckle. "Things are going to be okay, Sara."

"How do you know?"

"I don't… but, I have a good feeling about it."

xoxoxoxoxo

Two days later Sara was lying in bed. It turned out to be the flu; somehow she had been exposed to it and was now extremely sick. The doctor had order her to be out of work until she was fully recovered for protection of both herself and the baby. Gil, of course was ecstatic about this new rule; Sara, however, was going stir-crazy.

"Grissom," Gil flipped open his mobile.

"I'm bored," Sara's voice came whining through, which made Gil smile.

"I'm sorry. I left some forensic journals for you on the counter."

"Read them," Sara rolled her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"I told you, bored."

"Not what I meant," this time Gil rolled his eyes.

"My fever went down," Sara said before coughing very loudly.

"But not completely gone?" he worried.

"I think I'll be better by at least Friday." She tried to sound optimistic; it was Wednesday. "I have medicine you know."

"Yes, Dear; whatever you say. So, how bored are you anyway?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"Very," she said dramatically. "I'm going to die, Griss."

"You could always do my paperwork," he suggested.

"Ah, you know what, I'm actually not feeling all that well," she said quickly.

"That's what I thought. Hey, I have a call on the office phone, I'll you later."

"Okay," she coughed again. "Love you."

"Love back," he said closing the phone.

xoxoxoxoxo

The baby shower had been postponed to the week following because of the flu and the women of the nightshift, Lindsey, and Mrs. Robbins, were sitting in the break room watching a very flushed Sara opening presents. Catherine had, on her own decided since they were denied a proper wedding shower, this would be a joint wedding-baby shower so they had decorated in both white and silver and sage green; according to Jacqui 'green' was the new pink. The area around Sara was strewn with gift paper, boxes, baby clothes, bottles, diapers, rattles, baby blankets, along with personal gift for Sara which included, maternity and post pregnancy clothes; comfortable slippers, which were called a 'pregnancy blessing' from Catherine, a jewellery box from Lindsey which had a picture of Sara and Gil from her first Christmas in Las Vegas on the top and a matching necklace and earring set from the lab girls. Sara carefully picked up the last box, wrapped in comic strip paper with a confused look on her face.

"That is actually from Greg and Nick," Jacqui informed them.

Lindsey giggled, "It was actually Greg's idea but he didn't know what to get so he asked Nick who apparently has tons of sisters." Not knowing what to expect, Sara carefully opened it too see a two beautiful baby dressing; one a soft green and other a baby pink, two bottles, burp rags, and two bibs; one that said, 'I love Uncle Nick' and the other that said, 'I love Uncle Greg'. On the bottom was a note that read:

Hey Sara and Baby Girl Sidle-Grissom,

Welcome to the world. We can't wait to see you.

We love you,

Uncles Greg and Nick

P.S. Sara, we have one other surprise just for you. But you have to go on a little hunt. Use the comic strip as a clue to your first stop in finding your 'treasure'. Good luck.

"How fun!" Lindsey squealed, as Sara picked up the wrapping paper, which she could see was specially made.

"How about Sara, you ready for a treasure hunt?" asked Catherine.

"Did you know about this?" Sara eyed her.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Ooo, how creative," chimed in Mrs. Robbins.

"What does the first square say, Sara?" asked Jacqui.

"It says, 'Go to the place that we first were reunited there you will find your second clue. However, to get the clue, you must first answer this question: What _"sweet"_ substance might you get if you blend...  
- Holmium  
- Cobalt  
- Carbon  
- Tellurium  
- and Lanthanum?

"Where we first met?" Sara scrunched up her face, "Oh, the Monaco!" With that, the eight women headed towards the exit.

"We can take my SUV!" Catherine called out when the reached the car park. Catherine got into the driver's seat with Mrs. Robbins in the font passenger. Lindsey, Mandy, and Mia jumped into the back seat, while Jacqui, Sophia, and Sara slid onto the middle bench. "Ready?" Catherine asked once the door was shut; speeding off towards the hotel.

"Do you think it'll be something inside or out?" Lindsey asked pointing at the comic bubble.

"I don't know," Sara laughed. "Technically it was outside… but, who knows. I don't know anything that can be made up of these chemicals," Sara said, rereading the riddle to herself.

"I didn't know we'd be driving around for this," Mia noted to the girls in the back.

"Did you all know about this?" Sara asked.

"Er…"

"Um…"

"Yes," Mia answered soundly.

"I kind of knew," Lindsey giggled. "I wasn't suppose to, though."

"Oh?" Catherine looked at her daughter through the rear view mirror.

"I can't help it that they can't make their plans… discreetly," she shrugged.

"Uh huh." Pulling in to the Monaco parking lot, Catherine parked quickly and said, "Everyone out."

"Let's search the outside first," Catherine suggested.

"I thought Nick said…" Lindsey stopped quickly as she got looks from Jacqui, Mia, and Mandy.

"What's that, Lindsey?" Sara said coming up behind the young teenager.

"N-nothing, Sara," with that she skipped off happily.

"Maybe we should ask the hotel clerk first," Sara suggested, leading the way into the hotel. "Hi," she stepped up to the desk. "This may sound strange, but, is there a clue here for a Sara Sidle?" she asked the petite woman, who was staring at her computer screen. At the mention of her name a tall, older man with greying brown hair and a blue blazer came trotting up too them with cheeky smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

"My name is Aaron; I am the manager of the Hotel Monaco, which one of you is Ms. Sidle?"

"That's me," Sara cautiously raised her hand.

"And do you have your riddle solved, Ms. Sidle?'

"Who has the paper?" Sara asked the group.

"I've got it," Mandy said, handing it to her.

"Thanks."

"Let me know when you've got it," the clerk said with a smile.

"Come on, let's go over here and figure it out," Catherine said pointing to the couches near the window.

"Okay," Sara took out a notebook. "What's the question again?"

"What _"sweet"_ substance might you get if you blend: Holmium, Cobalt, Carbon, Tellurium, and Lanthanum?" Catherine read off the comic.

"Sweet substance?" Sara raised her eyebrow.

"Oh, I get it!" Mandy piped up.

"Me too!" said Mia.

"It's not what the chemicals make, Sara, it's…" Jacqui started to explain.

"Now I remember!" Lindsey interrupted.

"Oh, duh," Sara said jotting down answer. "I've got it!" She called out to the clerk.

xoxoxoxoxo

A/N4: Any of you got it yet? It's okay, I didn't either. All will be revealed in the next chapter. P.S. Sorry about all the false alarms, it wasn't working with me.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
A/N: Sorry, this is a really short chapter. I've been really busy with classes and work (esp. now that it's the holidays). I'm going to finish up the hunt soon and get down to some more serious business. Thanks again for reading and sticking with me.  
A/N: If you want the websites that I got the 'butterfly' information from, please PM or email me, (still won't allow websites to be shown.)

xoxoxoxoxo

"Chocolate! It's Chocolate!" Sara said waving around the paper. Aaron came running over to them holding a small golden box with velvet blue ribbon in his hand.

"Well done, Ms. Sidle." He handed her the box, "here is your second clue."

Looking over Sara's shoulder as she opened it; Lindsey's eye shone with knowing anticipation. Pulling out the single small chocolate, Sara pulled off the paper, handed the candy to Lindsey, and read the next clue: Fragile but strong, beautiful and unique, these wonderful creatures are pretty to see. Go to place and there you find a turning back in the wheel of time… The Bellagio Conservatory," Sara said softly, "our first official date/"

"Typical, Gil," Catherine laughed. "C'mon."

"Thank you," Sara called as the walked out of the building.

"So, tell us about the first date," Mia pried as they climbed back into the vehicle.

"Um… it was about a month after we found Nick; I actually didn't know it was date till half way through." Everyone laughed as Sara continued, "All I knew was that he was classifying species and he needed someone to keep records. Half way through the walk, he said, 'I'm glad we finally got a chance to go on a real date'; needless to say, I was stunned. The expression on my face must've been really funny because he started cracking up and he said, 'you didn't know this was date?'" Now all the girls were really laughing. "How was I supposed to know it was date, he never said anything!"

"Wait, why was it the first 'official date'?" asked Mandy.

"Because up until then, whenever we did anything it was always interrupted, and it was also unspoken," she paused, "Plus, um… it was the first time we kissed, since I'd gotten to Vegas."

"Since you'd gotten to Vegas?" Jacqui asked

"Yeah…"

"See, I told you they knew one another before Vegas," Lindsey said.

"How do you get all this information?" Catherine asked her daughter.

"Just because it looks like I'm not listening doesn't mean I'm not. Walking around looking aloof is good for spying."

"Is there anything else we should know, 'Oh Young One'?"

"Tons!" Lindsey said a little too quickly. "I have dirt on everyone, from Uncle Gil and Sara to even you, Mom." Lindsey looked at her mother with a mischievous grin.

"Oh…"

"I heard about your reaction to Warrick being married. I told you he was seeing some nurse named Tina, but you wouldn't believe me."

"But… how…"

"I told you, people talk."

"I know Greg finally gave up on Sara and tried going for Mia, but she turned him down flat. I also know that Mia had a thing for Warrick as well…" everyone looked at Mia, whose dark cheeks had flushed pink.

"Okay, I think that's enough, Lindsey," Catherine warned. Lindsey just shrugged. "I've been around the lab for years Mom and I can't always be sleeping, so I had to do something to occupy my time."

After a few moments of silence, Mandy asked, "So, anything good on Ecklie?"

Lindsey laughed, "You wouldn't believe what stories I have about Ecklie…" But before she could continue, Catherine cut her off with, "We're hear, okay, everyone out and start looking for clues!"

Walking through the glass doors, Sara spotted a sign for a butterfly presentation that started in twenty minutes. On the very bottom was printed: S.S. Your presence is required at the request of G.S. and N.S.

"Hey you guys," Sara called to them, "come look at this."

"Question," Catherine said, looking at Sara, "how did the guys know about all this stuff?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders, "Well, Nick was working with Grissom on the hotel case when I arrived, but I have no idea how they-" She looked at Lindsey, who was avoiding her eyes at all cost. "You wouldn't have any idea how the guys know so much about our relationship, now would you?"

"No," Lindsey said sweetly. "Maybe Uncle Gil said something."

"Nice try, Kiddo," Jacqui said patting her on the back. "Even I know that your _Uncle_ Gil is a very privet person."

"We'll, I guess it will always remain a mystery then," Lindsey sauntered off towards one of the glass cases.

"Remind me to tell everyone in the lab to keep their mouths shut when Lindsey is around," Catherine whispered to Sara who nodded in agreement.

"Come on, we'd better get tickets," Mrs. Robbins said, checking her watch. After all the tickets were handed out the group headed into the theatre and picked out some seats not to far in front, but far enough front that they would be able to see everything clearly.

"What do you suppose the guys are up too?" Mia whispered. Sara, who was thinking the same thing, tried to relax in her seat. As the house lights dimmed and the spot lights came up, a man in his late thirties with dark brown hair, wearing khakis and a navy blue polo shirt, stepped onto the stage.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," he introduced himself. "My name is Kris Mayer. Today we have a short presentation to show you but before we start is there a Sara Sidle in the house?" Sara could hear Lindsey's giggles as her face went bright red.

"She's right here!" Catherine shouted out and the spot light went searching. With the girls guiding the light, it finally landed on a very embarrassed, Sara.

"Miss Sidle. I have a note here that says I am to give you this," he held up a white envelope and continued, "but only if you can remember what type of butterfly is considered to be the most beautifully coloured and usually appear in the spring."

Without hesitation, Sara answered, "Lycaenidae."

"Correct," he said with a smile. "Come on up and claim your prize." Getting up from her seat, Sara's whole body was shaking nervously. Making her way down the aisle, she walked the three short steps up to the stage and went to claim her "prize". Handing the envelope to her, he asked, "Can you tell us what this is all about?"

"Um, I actually not sure," she answered softly.

"I can tell you!" Lindsey's voice hurled through the air as she sprinted down the rows of seats and bounced onto the stage. "It's a wedding gift from Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes; they're making her go on a treasure hunt to find it, each envelope is a clue having something to do with Sara and Uncle Gil; so far we've found chocolate and butterflies," she said all in one breath.

"A wedding present?" Kris looked at Sara.

"And a baby present!" Lindsey added as Sara shot her a glance of death.

"Congratulations!"

"Uh, thank you," said smiled into the crowd before tugging on Lindsey arm and leading her down the steps and back to their seats.

"Lindsey!" Sara hissed at the teenager. "I cannot believe you did that."

"I had orders," she shrugged.

"Orders?" Sara asked knowing the answer.

"_They_ knew you'd be too… silent and made me promise to make some noise."

"Mission completed; can we go now?" Sara asked already making her way towards the back. Once they were all in the lobby, Sara ripped open the envelope; it read: Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod one night, sailed off in a wooded shoe. Sailed of on a sea of crystal light into a sea of dew… One night under the star we came, to this place so still. You asked me if I loved you, you said 'more than your heart can fill'. So standing here in this place of death and despair I told you if I could, all the pieces of your broken heart I would repair." Sara finished reading and looked up at everyone with a puzzled look on her face. "So, did Grissom write these, or the boys?"

"Uncle Gil wrote them," Lindsey stated. "He didn't know what they were for, but Nick asked him to write them ages ago."

"He wrote them, on his own?"

"Well…" Lindsey looked at her mom.

"That answers that."

"So, where to next?" asked Mia interrupting their sub-conversation.

"The body farm."

"Um, I don't know if I want to go there," Jacqui's voice piped up.

"Yeah, I don't know either," said Lindsey.

"Okay, how about this," Catherine said, as they made their way to the vehicles, "Sara and I will go to the body farm to search for the next clue and you can go to the next destination," she finished with a look at Lindsey.

"You know where this ends up, don't you," Sara said giving Catherine a questioning look.

"Er, yes," Catherine said awkwardly. "I do." Looking at everyone else; in her best 'coach' voice she yelled, "Let's go!"

xoxoxoxoxo

"Do you think they've found the clue by now?" Lindsey asked, watching the rollercoaster make its descent.

"I don't know," Mrs. Robbins said quietly.

"Probably," said Mia.

"What did the clue actually say?" Jacqui asked, looking at the teen.

"I don't know."

"Come on, Lindsey," Mia urged, "of course you do."

"No, I really don't. I know the destinations and parts of the clues, but I have no idea what Uncle Gil wrote on the cards. I wish I did," she looked down at her tennis shoes.

"How did they pick the destinations?" asked Mandy.

"It was their 'firsts'."

"Firsts?"

"Yeah; first meeting, first date, first kiss, first 'I love you', first shared rollercoaster ride," she looked up again at the giant hill made of steel.

"Oh."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not Mine... duh!

A/N: Another short chapter. I swear I'll be writing more once classes finish for the term. Thanks to all those who've read and reviewed so far.

"Sara! I think I found something!" Catherine shouted from across the small creek, but Sara was too busy looking around to hear the voice calling her. This was her second time to the body farm and the first time in day light, she wanted to take it all in. Crouching down beside one of the placed corpses, Sara took a specimen jar out of her jacket and scooped up a non-typical creepy crawler.

"Sara!" Catherine touched her on the shoulder; Sara jumped up, hitting Catherine on the chin. "Holy shit that hurt!" Catherine clutched the bottom part of her face.

"Sorry," Sara mumbled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Catherine sighed. Holding up the small container, Sara said brightly, "Look what I found!"

"Great. You know you're getting more like Gil everyday." Sara just shrugged. "What did you want?" she asked, putting the jar into her bag.

"I found something just across the creek." Making there way across the small foot bridge, Sara noticed a red ribbon tied around one of the trees with three long stemmed roses neatly hung on the curve of the bow. "I still can't believe all this isn't making you sick," Catherine remarked as Sara pulled the roses off of the bow. Attached to the middle of rose was another envelope.

"The Rollercoaster," Sara sniffed quietly after reading it. "It's where he first told me he loved me."

"Let's go then," Catherine said, eyes twinkling.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Finally!" Lindsey said, spotting her mom and Sara as they walked into the lobby.

"Sara, here was busy inspecting."

"I found something for Gil." Sara pulled out the specimen jar.

"Ewww!" Lindsey shrieked.

"What is it?" Mia asked, coming up behind them.

"That's Gil's job."

"So, what was the clue?" asked Mandy.

"Didn't Lindsey tell you?" Catherine asked.

"No," said Wendy. "She claimed not to know it."

"Probably true; she wasn't privy to everything."

"Read it!" Mrs. Robbins said excitedly. Pulling out the card, Sara read it aloud.

"This is it. The end… or rather the beginning; riding the ups and down, we kept one thing constant, our fervent love for one another. You once said you were afraid to be up so high and going down so fast, but I told you not to be afraid, to hold on… because I loved you. I loved you then and I love you now, Gil."

"That's sweet," Mandy said softly.

"Does anyone know what we're supposed to do next?"

"We need to find the manager," Catherine looked around and spotted a man in his early twenties, "Let's go over to the ticket counter."

"Hi. My name is…"

"Sara Sidle," finished the young guy. "I'm Seth Wood and I was told to escort you to the back garden. If you'll follow me," he said coming out from behind the counter.

"So, uh, how did you know it was me?"

"I was told a brunette with the deepest chocolate eyes was coming to collect her final prize and that I would know her by her not only her eyes, but the beauty of her smile."

"Cheesy, but sweet," Sara teased.

"She's kidding," Wendy said answering the young man's worried look.

Opening the door to the back garden, he instructed, "Go all the way to the back of the garden. When you reach the tulip path, only Sara may advance; walking ever so slowing with the ticking of the clock. Good luck," with that he was gone. The indoor garden was vast and full of life and a stream was flowing to the write of the marked path. Quickening the pace, Sara's steps were finely in tune with her heart beats.

"This is where we part," Catherine said stopping in front of the tulips. A high wall lined the path of tulips and the path turned from grass to cobblestone. Reaching underneath one of the benches, Catherine pulled out a large bag and handed it to Sara.

"Put this on."

Sara looked back for more instruction but only to see that the rest of the party had already disbanded; with a smile, Catherine was gone as well. Taking a deep breath, Sara unzipped the bag. Inside was a beautiful floor length, deep violet-slate gown. _What are the guys up too?_ Sara tried to reason in her head as she changed and then started walking down the path. Without warning, music started playing from the mega speakers._ I hope they weren't able to see me _change, she thought to herself.

Picking up the pace just a little, Sara started noticing little things; the smell of the flowers, the song that was being played- (_That's All_ by Michael Buble), then she saw them. Standing at the end of the path was Gil Grissom along with the rest of the night shift, Lindsey, and Mrs. Robbins. Gil was standing in the middle wearing a black tux and holding a single long stemmed red rose while Nick, Warrick, Greg, Doc Robbins, and Brass were standing in a semi-circle behind him all in suits and ties, holding white roses. The ladies lined the sides of the path dressed in light violet-slate gowns, also holding white roses. Lindsey was bouncing up and down with excitement and the look on Gil's face was something most of them had never seen before; pure joy, pure love, pure happiness.

As she reached the end, Gil held his hand out to her just as the music stopped.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with a smile. Sara gently eased herself into Grissom's arms as Doc Robbins started signing a cappella and the boys hummed in the background, "I can only give you love that last forever, and a promise to be near each time you call. And the only heart I own, for you and you alone, that's all, that's all." As they sang; Nick, Warrick, Greg, and Brass, swayed snapping their fingers and when it was their turn to sing individually, they all made a single turn and went down the line.

"Did you plan all this?" Sara whispered just loud enough for Gil to hear.

"Some of it," he whispered back. "Most of it was the Boy's idea; I just went along with it." As the singing stopped, Gil gently kissed Sara; first on the hand then on each cheek, and finally a sound kiss on the mouth.

"Get a room," Lindsey said, breaking the moment.

"Thank you, everyone," Sara said, turning to address them.

"The night isn't over yet," Greg said with a smirk.

"Oh no," she looked over at Gil who also had a worried look on his face.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" he asked cautiously.

"Don't worry," said Nick, "This'll be a night you'll never forget."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: What do you think…

A/N: I was in a different mood, so I wanted to try something a little different.

A/N 2: Apples to Apples is a group game that has nothing to do with skill or even luck… I guess it's based on who has the same kind of humor as you; it's really fun though! I do not own Apples to Apples… well, I do, just not the rights to it.

xoxoxoxoxo

Yawning, Sara opened her eyes. Rolling over, she saw Gil peacefully asleep on his back. Sitting up, she continued to just stare at him. She was getting that feeling again and it was bothering her; she didn't want to think about it. When she first found out she was pregnant, she questioned everything about her life, about their life together, about herself. She knew what her past looked like and wasn't sure what to think of her future; most of all, she wasn't sure if she could do this, if she was ready to be a mother, or even if she had the "mother gene".

Sighing, she watched Gil's chest move up and down peacefully; yesterday's festivities had exhausted them both. Last night, after leaving the conservatory, the group headed to Nick's new apartment for small formal dinner with just the Nightshift; including Brass and Doc Robbins.

xoxoxoxoxo

Candles lit the drive and walk way as Gil pulled into the crowded space. They were told to make one more stop before coming to the house; a small book store that held one last treasure, a first edition of Moby Dick.

Noticing the white lights that laced the tree in the front yard and bushes beside the door, Sara wrapped her black sash around her shoulder as Gil opened her door and offered his hand to her. Taking his arm, they made their way to the house. Before they could even ring the bell, the door swung open. As suspected, everyone had arrived before them.

"Nick, it's gorgeous!" Sara gushed. Not only was this the first time she'd seen his new apartment, it was lit only by hundreds white candles of all sizes and shapes.

"Thanks, Sar, so are you," he said taking her wrap and then Grissom's over coat. "Everyone's in the living room," he said leading them down the candlelit hallway.

"Look who's finally here," Nick said as they entered the fire lit room. Soft music filled the air as everyone talked and enjoyed one another as friends.

"Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes," Greg announced coming out of the kitchen.

"You let him cook?" Sara asked skeptically.

"Hey, I can cook," Greg said defensively. "But, no, I didn't cook this time- just watched." He made a look in Nick's direction, "he wouldn't let me."

"I didn't know you could cook, Nicholas," Sara said with a smirk. "I thought microwaving burritos was the extent of your culinary skills."

"Very funny," he said handing her and glass of sparkling grape juice and Gil a glass of white wine.

"Thank you," was the first words Gil had spoken since they left the conservatory.

"Would you like the five cent tour?" Nick asked them.

"Sure," Sara went to move and noticed that Gil was being still. "Are you okay?" she turned to face him.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" she searched his eyes.

"For once in my life, Sara, I'm okay. I'm more than okay, I'm happy." Smiling, Sara took his hand, "C'mon, let's go see the rest of the house."

As Nick led them out of the dining room and down the hall, Sara felt Gil guide her by the small of her back, entwining her arms in his they listened as Nick told them tidbits on the kitchen, dining room, den, bedrooms, bathrooms, and the back yard.

"I couldn't believe how big it was. I may have a cook out this summer, what do you think?"

"Uh, yeah, Nick, that would be fun," Sara was having a hard time concentrating because Gil had started playing this her hair.

"Griss?"

"Huh?" Grissom blinked out of his daze. Sara's had washed her hair with his favourite shampoo and it was distracting him from whatever Nick was saying.

"I was asking… Are you guys okay?" Nick asked with genuine concern.

"Oh, yeah, we're fine," Sara assured him. She started giggling because of the look on Nick's face and the fact he'd gone into his interrogation stance with both hands on his hips. "Seriously Nick, we're fine."

"Okay," Nick conceded. "Come on, dinner is probably ready and Greg's probably going crazy."

"Where have you guys been!" Greg exclaimed as they walked into the dining room. Catherine, Warrick, Brass, and Doc Robbins were standing at their places, but had waited for this co-host to be seated.

"Patience, Gregory," Sara teased.

"Dinner is served," Nick said coming in from the kitchen with a serving plate. "Please be seated. Greg, Warrick, help," Nick commanded. After all the food was served and they boys had taken a seat, Brass spoke up.

"First of all, I'd like to propose a toast to Gil and Sara. Gil and I have been friends for a long time. Your happiness means a lot to me and I see how happy you are; how content you are. I remember when he first came back from his lecture in San Francisco; he couldn't stop talking about this young woman he met, I seriously had never seen him so enamored… with anything that didn't craw around and creep people out. For the first real time I saw another spark light within him and I knew this gal must people special. And, then when she was here; the flesh and blood dream girl," he paused to look at Sara.

"This fiery, intelligent, driven, woman; who brought new life to the lab, something much needed. Through the years you've become a daughter to me and I couldn't he happier for you. I just want to say one thing; love one another, always." He raised his glass, "To Gil and Sara, salut!"

"Salut!" everyone answered in unison.

"Dig in!" Nick called. Soon clucks of the silverware were being heard through talking and laughter of the close-knit group. Nick was sitting at the head of the table with Greg on the other end. To Nick's right sat, Warrick, Brass, and Catherine; to Greg's right sat Sara, Gil, and Doc Robbins.

Nick, Warrick, Brass, and Doc were in a conversation about basketball, while Catherine was trying to explain a field simulation she had done at UNLV. No one seemed to notice that Sara had scooted closer so she could lay her hand on Grissom knee or that Grissom was whispering softly to her.

"I have an idea," Gil said into her ear. "Why don't we have Thanksgiving at our place?"

"Seriously?" Sara asked looking into his eyes; they were open and full of spark.

"Yes, seriously."

"Okay."

"Okay," he repeated, kissing the side of her head. Contently, he took her hand into his and laid it in his lap. Remember that there were six other people in the room, Sara spoke up, "So, whose idea was the singing?"

"Not mine," Greg answered quickly.

"Not mine either," Brass said from across the table- who was looking at Catherine, who was looking at no one.

"Technically it was Lindsey's idea," she reasoned.

"Well, then, thank Lindsey for me."

"Hey, who all has plans for Thanksgiving?" Sara changed the subject.

"Wow, that's only what a week away?" asked Nick.

"And then Christmas!" Greg piped up excitedly.

"How old are you?" asked Catherine.

"Seven," Greg held up his hands. "Always seven."

"I'm on call, but otherwise free," Catherine said, getting then back on track.

"Us too," Nick said pointing to Warrick.

"I think… I'm going home," Greg said thoughtfully.

"No you're not," Warrick scoffed, "You lost the bet, remember. You're on call with us."

"Oh, right," Greg sighed.

"I told you to stop betting against them," Sara giggled.

"Jim?" asked Gil.

"I'm on call."

"What about Sophia?" Sara asked.

"She's on call too."

"Where is she, by the way?" asked Nick.

"She makes her apologies for not being here. She had a family situation this weekend."

"Oh."

"So, what about Thanksgiving, Gil?" Catherine asked.

"Well, we'd like to have everyone around to our place this year."

"Seriously?" Greg asked in a tone that too closely resembled Sara's.

"Yes."

"We're not sure about all the arrangements, yet, but we'll let everyone know a-sap," said Sara.

"How about dessert?" Nick asked standing up.

"Wow, Nick, impressive."

"_I_ made the dessert," Greg said, also standing.

"Ten bucks says it's ice-cream," Warrick whispered to Nick.

"Actually, it is, home-made ice-cream; Nana Olaf's recipe." With that, Greg disappeared into the kitchen.

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and even some tears as the nightshift talked, teased, and played a dozen rounds of Apples to Apples. Sara had just started dozing off when Gil said, "I think we'd better go."

"Thanks guys," said Sara, eyes remaining closed. "Today was amazing."

"Glad you liked it, Sar-"

"Hey," her eyes bolted open, "who cleaned up the break room?"

"Oh yeah," Catherine chimed in. "We did kind of leave that place a mess."

"Don't worry, we took care of it," Warrick said reassuringly.

"Okay." With that, Sara's eyes drooped again.

"I'd better get her home," Grissom said opening the door. "Thank you again, everyone; today was really special. Opening the car door, he scooted Sara into the passenger seat and gave her a quick kiss before closing the door.

xoxoxoxoxo

He could feel her staring at him. He'd always been able to tell when someone was looking at him, but with her it was different. He felt her radiating energy on him. He also knew that this time, there was something wrong. "Are you okay?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"I'm scared."

"I know." Holding out his arms to her, he felt her fall in close to him. Laying her head on his chest, she sighed. "It's going to be okay, Sara, I pro-"

"Don't, Gil," she stopped him, "don't make promises you can't keep."

"I wouldn't. Things really are going to be okay."

"What if I'm not… I mean, what if I can't…Tonight was so amazing and everyone seems to think that I'll be able too-"

"Breathe," he instructed; he felt her take in two deep breaths.

"What if I didn't get the 'mom' gene?"

"Sara…" Gil started when suddenly Sara jumped.

"She just kicked, Gil."

"What?"

"Yeah, she just kicked." Placing his hand on her lower stomach, they waited for her to do it again; they jumped at the same time, as the baby kicked again.

"Soccer player?" he asked half-jokingly, the he heard Sara sniffing. "Hey," he tweaked her chin.

"This is real, isn't it Gil. This is really happening."

"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "And, it's going to be amazing and scary and fun and crazy, but it's okay, because **we're** doing it, together."

"Okay," she sighed.

"Okay," he repeated. Together they fell back asleep with Sara laying on Gil's chest and their hands together on her stomach. "Good night, Baby Girl," was the last words utter before drifting off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Check the last chapter.

A/N: Possible SPOILER for Double Cross- this is based on the **assumption** that Grissom's mother has passed.

A/N 2:

_Pride and Prejudice_.Jane Austin.1813

_10 Things I Hate About You_.Gil Junger.USA.1999

_The Aviator_.Martin Scorsese.USA.2004

xoxoxoxoxo

"Maybe I should wait till Christmas to give it to her, Mom," Lindsey sat in the passenger side as Catherine drove to Sara and Gil's place. Every year someone from the nightshift hosted Thanksgiving and since this year it wasn't only Gil's turn but he'd happily volunteered.

"It's up to you, Lindsey."

"I'll give it to her now and something else for Christmas."

"Okay," Catherine smiled knowingly.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Sara, I got you something; well, I got the baby something. Isn't this so cute!" Lindsey squealed holding up a tiny, cranberry red, baby dress. "I know I got it a little big, but she'll able to fit into it next Christmas, I hope…" They were all sitting around, mingling and talking before dinner.

"It's beautiful, Linds, thank you," Sara said taking the dress, holding it up for everyone to see; tears in her eyes.

"Um, Uncle Gil…" Lindsey called out worried.

"It's okay, Lindsey," Gil said walking over to his wife. Kissing her on the top of her head, he said, "Hormones."

"Oh," was all Lindsey said, seating herself in between Warrick and Nick who were engrossed with the football game. "You ready to get your ass kicked at Xbox?" she asked Greg who was sitting on the oversized chair beside them.

"Bring it on, Little Girl," Greg snickered.

"Where is it?"

"In your old room apparently, how'd you get a room here?"

Ignoring the question, Lindsey asked one of her own, "Hey, Uncle Gil, I was wondering since the baby is getting my old room and all if I could decorate it."

"She wants to be a decorator this week," Catherine clued them in. When Catherine was first going through her divorce with Eddie, her and Lindsey especially, spent so much time at Gil's that he had turned his then study into Lindsey's own room.

"Ask Sara," was his response.

"What do you have in mind, Linds?" Sara asked cautiously. She knew that having Lindsey turn the room into a nursery had it's perks, particularly when she and Gil were both at work so much, however she also didn't want to hurt Lindsey's feelings if she was forced to say no.

"I have loads of ideas- and don't worry; I'll run everything by you first."

"You ready to get killed, Squirt?" Greg asked suddenly.

"In your dreams," Lindsey smiled up at him. "Call us when dinner is ready!" she said, running up the stairs.

xoxoxoxoxo

"I'm thankful for… Sara teaching me how to play Halo and race and play basketball; comes in handy," Lindsey ended with a smirk which caught a snicker from Warrick and Nick and a scowl from Greg.

They had just sat down to their Thanksgiving feast and as tradition of the nightshift before carving they were to go around the table and say the one thing that they were the most thankful for that year. Gil was at the head of the table with Sara on the opposite end. To Gil's right sat Catherine, Lindsey, and Warrick. To Sara's right sat Greg, Nick, Brass, and Sophia. Doc and Mrs. Robbins had been invited to their oldest son's house for the holiday, an offer neither of them could refuse.

"I still think you cheated," Greg whined.

"Whatever, Greg, you're just jealous because I, a fifteen year old girl beat your sorry ass at Halo."

"You and Sara have way too much time on your hands," he muttered back.

"Poor Greg," Sara interjected. "It's your turn," she said nodding to him.

"I'm thankful that it was arranged that we could all be here- together."

"That's sweet, Greg," said Catherine.

"Yeah, well, if you can't go home for the holidays, being with you all is the next best thing."

"You're just happy you didn't have to work alongside the cover shift crew tonight," Warrick snorted.

"Yeah, that too."

"Agreed," said Nick. "I'm thankful that Griss and Sara decided not to ditch us for England."

"I'm thankful Tina isn't prolonging the annulment."

"Wait!" Catherine exclaimed, "when did this happen?"

"It's been a long time coming, but we officially decided to split last Friday."

"I'm sorry 'Rick," Sara whispered.

"It just… I made a rash decision and I paid for it- but, I'm also dealing with it and moving on." After a pause he said, "So, who's next?"

"Jim," said Grissom. "You're up."

"Uh, let's see. I'm thankful that I'm here with all of you and all of us have made it through another year alive and well." Ending, Brass looked to Sophia.

"I'm thankful that my father is okay; after a rough patch, he's finally stable and even recovering."

"That's great, Soph," Nick said with a smile.

"What about you, Cath?" Sara asked.

"I'm thankful that my daughter has lived to see another year-"

"Hey!" Lindsey protested.

"I'm also thankful," Catherine continued, ignoring her daughter, "For the way you all challenge me, in different ways. It makes me examine and re-examine myself and without that, I would never grow.

"Sara," Gil nodded encouragingly to her.

"Um, well, I-" she took a breath, "Growing up I didn't have a strong family and I'm thankful to be able everyone hear as family, especially with the baby coming; everyone has been really great and for that, I'm thankful… Gil?"

"I'm thankful for my wife and my daughter… and that Sara and I have finally decided on a name for our daughter."

"Really!" squealed Lindsey. "What is it?!"

"Elisabeth, with an "s" instead of a "z", Mae Grissom."

"That's beautiful," Catherine said wistfully.

"Elisabeth Mae Grissom; has a ring to it," said Sophia.

"How'd you pick that name?" asked Warrick.

"Isn't Sara's middle name Elizabeth?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, but she was also named after 'Elizabeth Bennet'…"

"From, _Pride and Prejudice_?" Lindsey squealed. "I **love** that book!"

"Yes. We wanted her to have a strong name, for her name to mean something," Sara explained.

"And Mae?" asked Nick.

"My mother's middle name," Grissom said with a wide smile.

"Elisabeth Mae," Lindsey repeated. "I really like it."

xoxoxoxoxo

As tradition followed for Thanksgiving, they watched a film picked by someone every year and this year it was Lindsey's turn; lucky for them her taste had moved beyond, _10 Things I Hate About You_, and she'd picked _The Aviator_. The only problem was that a quarter of the way through, Gil and Warrick had fallen asleep and it sounded like they were having a snoring contest. They ended up turning off the movie and making one of their own.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Did you bring it?" Catherine asked her daughter.

"Yea," Lindsey said coyly as she dug into her tote bag. Pulling out a compact video camera she quietly inserted a new Mini DV into the slot and switched it on. Turning the camera on herself she said, "This is Lindsey on Thanksgiving 2006. We're at Uncle Gil and Sara's place and Warrick and Uncle Gil; haven fallen asleep, have entered a snoring contest, let's listen in." Pointing the camera towards the two sleeping men, she started snickering. "Someone take this please, I can't hold it steady."

"I've got an idea," Sara said, pulling some books off the shelf. Stacking them on the coffee table she sat the camera down and glanced at the monitor, "Perfect." Getting in front of the camera she said, "Yup, this is what Gil's like, every night."

"Blackmail has never tasted so sweet," Greg smirked.

"And you think Gil and Warrick don't have anything on you?" asked Brass.

"Probably," Greg shrugged, "but this is worth it. We're having an office Christmas party right… I'm just kidding," he said quickly after Sara gave him a look of death. At the same moment Sara was leaning over to adjust Gil's head, so he wouldn't get a neck cramp, his head went forward and crashed into hers.

"Ouch!" she yelped.

"What! Huh? Sara?" Gil jumped off the couch. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's nothing," Sara rubbed her head, "we just… bumped heads."

"What's going on?" Warrick said, rubbing his eyes.

"N-nothing," Lindsey said pulling the camera off the books.

"What did you just take?"

"Nothing- I swear," she tried to convince him.

"Yeah, just remember, I know where you live, Little Girl."

"Blah, blah, blah," Lindsey mocked. Luckily, Gil was too busy tending to Sara's head to see her slip the small camcorder back into her bag.

xoxoxoxoxo

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Grissom grumbled as Sara pulled into the shopping mall car park.

"Oh, come on, Gil," she said turning off the engine, "It'll be fun."

"Sara, it's five thirty in the morning. Why in the world would I get up at five thirty to shop; on my day off, our day off?"

"It's actually almost six and it's tradition."

"You hate tradition… and you don't even believe in God. Why would you celebrate Christmas?"

"I don't… I mean; oh, come on," she avoided the question.

"What time do they open?" Grissom asked as they stepped into line.

"Six."

"Six?"

"Yes. But," she pulled her bag off her shoulder, "I brought coffee." Pouring some out of the large thermos, she handed it to him.

"You still like the cold, don't you?" Grissom asked pulling Sara close to him.

"Yes. I miss Boston sometimes, especially in the winter. I miss the snow." Grissom laughed.

"What?" Sara pulled slightly away.

"As much as you complain at about the cold, you miss the snow."

"It's a different kind of cold," she reasoned. "Oh, look, they've opened up."

"What exactly are we shopping for, Mrs. Grissom?"

"Well, I got Catherine for Secret Santa this year," she pulled out her list, "So; I'm looking for… gift cards."

"Gift cards? Isn't that kind of impersonal?"

"It's better than getting her something she won't like or won't use."

"I thought she posted her suggestions on the board."

"Yes, store suggestions on where to get the gift cards."

"Okay," he shrugged taking her hand.

"I also wanted to look for some things for Bess," Sara said softly.

xoxoxoxoxo

Exactly five hours and twenty-three minutes later, Sara and Grissom arrived home from their shopping trek exhausted.

"You're right," Gil said plopping on the couch. "Gift cards are definitely the best way to go."

"I still can't believe you got Brass," Sara sat down beside her husband. "I think you fixed the pool."

"And you and Catherine didn't?"

"Us?" Sara asked in a mocked tone.

"Yeah, you two. It's slightly odd that you picked one another names again this year."

"Yeah, well, it's also strange that you got Jim the same year he got you."

"Fair enough."

"Who all entered into the Secret Santa this year?"

"You, me, Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Brass, Greg, and Sophia."

"Do you know who got whom?"

"It's a matter of simple deduction."

"Since you, Jim, Catherine, and I picked one another and Nick fixed it so he and Sophia got one another…"

"Whoa, wait; what?"

"I was- observing him."

"Interesting. Don't tell me, Sophia picked Nick as well?"

"As a matter of fact, she did."

"Okay, so that just leaves Warrick and Greg, who obviously had to get one another. I thought it was suppose to be _Secret_ Santa," she teased lying back onto his chest.

"Not with a group full of investigators."

"Har-Har," Sara said dryly. Sitting up she asked, "Where were you when I was off getting Catherine's present anyway?"


End file.
